r 


rjBRARY    OF    THI-: 


University  of  California: 


C I RV  biLA'TlXG  ■  RR.IS 


/ 

Eetiirn  in  -a^  weely? ;  or  a  week  befoio  the  end  of  T,i\e  terui. 


_^ 


THE 


UNSEEN  Universe 


OE 


PHYSICAL  SPECULATIONS   ON  A 
FUTURE   STATE 

—  The  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  which 
are  not  seen  are  eternal 


THIRD  EDITION. 


NEW  YORK 

MACMILLAN    AND    CO. 

1875 


B~r9of 
S73 


" .  .  .  li^  OKOTTovvTuv  Tj^uv  TO,  pieir6fieva^  d^/ld  to,  fif/  (32£Tr6/j,eva'  to.  yap 
P^'nrd/isva,  irpdaKaipa'  to,  6e  fx^  j3Aeir6fievaj  altjvca.     Upbg  Kopivdlovg,  B'.  6'. 

Animula !  vagula,  blandula, 
Hospes  comesque  corporis, 
Quae  nunc  abibis  in  loca — 
Pallidula,  rigida,  nudula  .  .  ." 

3S'S3'p  ^^■""^•'- 

"  God  hath  endowed  us  with  diffei^ent  faculties,  suitable  and  proportional 
to  the  different  objects  that  engage  them.  We  discover  sensible  things  by 
our  senses,  rational  things  by  our  reason,  things  intellectual  by  understanding ; 
but  divine  and  celestial  things  he  has  reserved  for  the  exercise  of  our  faith, 
which  is  a  kind  of  divine  and  superior  sense  in  the  soul.  Our  reason  and 
understanding  may  at  some  times  snatch  a  glimpse,  but  cannot  take  a  steady 
and  adequate  prospect  of  things  so  far  above  their  reach  and  sphere.  Thus, 
by  the  help  of  natural  reason,  I  may  know  there  is  a  God,  the  first  cause  and 
original  of  all  things ;  but  his  essence,  attributes,  and  will,  are  hid  within  the 
veil  of  inaccessible  Ught,  and  cannot  be  discerned  by  us  but  through  faith  in 
his  divine  revelation.  He  that  walks  without  this  light,  walks  in  darkness, 
though  he  may  strike  out  some  faint  and  glimmering  sparkles  of  his  own. 
And  he  that,  out  of  the  gross  and  Mooden  dictates  of  his  natural  reason, 
carves  out  a  religion  to  himself,  is  but  a  more  refined  idolater  than  those  who 
worship  stocks  and  stones,  hammering  an  idol  out  of  his  fancy,  and  adoring 
the  works  of  his  own  imagination.  For  this  reason  God  is  nowhere  said 
to  be  jealous,  but  upon  the  account  of  his  worship." — Pilgrim's  Progress^ 
Part  III. 


PKEFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


As  a  preface  to  our  Second  Edition,  we  cannot  do  bet- 
ter than  record  the  experience  derived  from  our  first.  It 
is  indeed  gratifying  to  find  a  wonderful  want  of  unanimity 
among  the  critics  who  assail  us,  and  it  is  probably  owing 
to  this  cause  that  we  have  been  able  to  preserve  a  kind 
of  kinetic  stability,  just  as  a  man  does  in  consequence  of 
being  equally  belaboured  on  all  sides  by  the  myriad  petty 
impacts  of  little  particles  of  air. 

Some  call  us  infidels,  while  others  represent  us  as  very 
much  too  orthodoxly  credulous ;  some  cajll  us  pantheists, 
some  materialists,  others  spiritualists.  As  we  cannot 
belong  at  once  to  all  these  varied  categories,  the  presump- 
tion is  that  we  belong  to  none  of  them.  This,  by  the  way, 
is  our  own  opinion. 

Venturing  to  classify  our  critics,  we  would  divide  them 
into  three  groups : — 

(1.)  There  are  those  who  have  doubtless  faith  in  revela- 
tion ;  but  more  especially,  sometimes  solely,  in 
their  own  method  of  interpreting  it ;  none,  how- 
ever, in  the  method  according  to  which  really 
scientific  men  with  a  wonderful  unanimity  have 
been  led  to  interpret  the  works  of  nature.  These 
critics  call  us,  some  infidels,  some  pantheists, 
some  dangerously  subtle  materialists,  etc. 
(2.)  There  are  those  who  have  faith  in  the  methods  ac- 
cording to  which  men  of  science  interpret  the 


IV  PBEFACE   TO    THE   SECOND    EDITION. 

laws  of  nature,  but  none  whatever  in  revelation 
or  theology.      These  consider  us  as  orthodoxly 
credulous  and  superstitious,  or  as  writers  of  "  the 
most  hardened  and  impenitent  nonsense  that  ever 
called  itself  original  speculation." 
(3.)  There  are  those  who  have  a  profound  belief  that  the 
true  principles  of  science  will  be  found  in  accord- 
ance with  revelation,  and  who  welcome  any  work 
whose  object  is  to  endeavour  to  reconcile  these 
two  fields  of  thought.      Such  men  believe  that 
the  Author  of  revelation  is  likewise  the  Author 
of  nature,  and  that  these  works  of  His  will  ulti- 
mately be  found  to  be  in  perfect  accord.      Such 
of  this  school  as  have  yet  spoken  have  approved 
of  our  work. 
Our  readers  may  judge  for  themselves  which  of  these 
three  classes  of  belief  represents   most  nearly  the   true 
Catholic  Faith. 

Many  of  our  critics  seem  to  fancy  that  we  presume  to 
attempt  such  an  absurdity  as  a  demonstration  of  Christian 
truth  fj-om  a  mere  physical  basis !  We  simply  confute 
those  who  (in  the  outraged  name  of  science)  have  asserted 
that  science  is  incompatible  with  religion.  Surely  it  is 
not  ice  who  are  dogmatists,  but  those  who  assert  that 
the  principles  and  well-ascertained  conclusions  of  science 
are  antagonistic  to  Christianity  and  immortality.  If  in 
the  course  of  our  discussion  we  are  to  some  extent  con- 
structors, and  find  analogies  in  nature  which  seem  to  us  to 
throw  light  upon  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  yet  in  the 
main  our  object  is  rather  to  break  down  unfounded  objec- 
tions than  to  construct  apologetic  arguments.  These  we 
leave  to  the  Theologian.  The  Bishop  of  Manchester  has 
very  clearly  described  our  position  by  stating  that  [from 


PREFACE   TO    THE    SECOND    EDITION.  V 

a  purely  physical  point  of  view,  %  204]  we  "  contend  for 
the  possibility  of  immortality  and  of  a  personal  God." 

To  vary  the  metaphor,  we  have  merely  stripped  oif  the 
hideous  mask  with  which  materialism  has  covered  the  face 
of  nature  to  find  underneath  (what  every  one  with  faith  in 
anything  at  all  must  expect  to  find)  something  of  surpass- 
ing beauty,  but  yet  of  inscrutable  depth.  For  indeed  we 
are  entire  believers  in  the  infinite  depth  of  nature,  and  hold 
that  just  as  we  must  imagine  space  and  duration  to  be 
infinite,  so  must  we  imagine  the  structural  complexity  of 
the  universe  to  be  infinite  also.  To  our  mind  it  appears 
no  less  false  to  pronounce  eternal  that  aggregation  loe  call 
the  atom,  than  it  would  be  to  pronounce  eternal  that  aggre- 
gation we  call  the  Sun.  All  this  follows  from  the  principle 
of  Continuity,  in  virtue  of  which  we  make  scientific  pro- 
gress in  the  knowledge  of  things,  and  which  leads  us, 
whatever  state  of  things  we  contemplate,  to  look  for  its 
antecedent  in  some  previous  state  of  things  also  in  the 
Universe.  This  principle  represents  the  path  from  the 
known  to  the  unknown,  or  to  speak  more  precisely,  our 
conviction  that  there  is  a  path.  ITevertheless  it  does  not 
authorise  us  to  dogmatise  regarding  the  properties  of  the 
unknown  lying  beyond  or  at  the  boundary  of  our  little 
"  clearing."  We  must  go  up  to  it  and  examine  it  often, 
with  long-continued  labour,  under  great  difficulties,  before 
we  can  at  all  say  what  its  properties  are. 

Among  those  who  recognise  us  as  orthodox,  and  for  that 
reason  attack  us,  there  is  one  of  deservedly  high  authority. 
Our  "  brother,"  Professor  W.  K.  Clifford,  has  published  a 
lively  attack  on  our  speculations  in  a  recent  number  of  the 
Fortnightly  Revieio,  We  are  bound  respectfully  to  consider 
the  arguments  of  an  adversary  of  his  calibre. 

He  appears  to  be  unable  to  conceive  the  possibility  of  a 


VI  PREFACE   TO   THE    SECOND   EDITION. 

spiritual  body  which  shall  not  die  with  the  natural  body. 
Or  rather,  he  conceives  that  he  is  in  a  position  to  assert, 
from  his  knowledge  of  the  universe,  that  such  a  thing  can- 
not be.  We  join  issue  w^ith  him  at  once,  for  the  depth  of 
our  ignorance  with  regard  to  the  unseen  universe  forbids 
us  to  come  to  any  such  conclusion  with  regard  to  a  possi- 
ble spiritual  body. 

Our  critic  begins  his  article  by  summoning  up  or  con- 
structing a  most  grotesque  and  ludicrous  figure,  which  he 
calls  our  argument^  and  forthwith  proceeds  to  demolish  ; 
and  he  ends  by  summoning  up  a  horrible  and  awful  phan- 
tom, against  which  he  feelingly  warns  us.  This  phantom  has 
already,  it  seems,  destroyed  two  civilisations,  and  is  capa- 
ble of  ev^n  worse  things,  though  it  is  merely  the  *' sifted 
sediment  of  a  residuum."  He  does  not  tell  us  whether  he 
means  Religion  in  general,  or  only  that  particularly  objec- 
tionable form  of  it  called  Christianity. 

Our  critic  shows  that  he  has  not  read  our  work, — has,  \n\^ 
fact,  merely  glanced  into  it  here  and  there.  This  is  proved 
by  what  he  says  of  Struve's  notions,  on  which  we  lay  no 
stress  whatever,  while  he  puts  them  forward  as  the  main- 
stay of  our  argument.  "We  are  also  made  out  to  be  the 
assertorsof  a  peculiar  molecular  constitution  of  the  unseen 
universe,  although  with  reference  to  this  we  say  in  our 
work,  page  170,  "/or  tlie  sake  of  hr'inging  our  ideas  in  a 
concrete  form  before  the  reader  ^  and  for  this  purpose  onhj^ 
Ave  will  now  adopt  a  different  hypothesis."  Of  course  it  is 
too  much  to  expect  a  critic  nowadays  to  read  every  word 
of  a  book  which  he  is  content  to  demolish,  hut  we  did  hope 
he  might  have  noticed  the  italics. 

Our  critic  too  commits  several  singular  mistakes  due  to 
imperfections  of  memory.  Why  speak  of  the  negative  as 
universal,  which  appears  in  such  words  as  immortality,  end- 


PREFACE   TO   THE   SECOND   EDITION.  Vll 

less  existence,  etc.,  when  the  nlost  common  of  all  expres- 
sions connected  with  the  subject  are  the  phrases,  *^  eternal 
life,"  '^everlasting  life,"  etc.,  none  of  which  involve  the 
negative  ? 

How  the  sun  could  go  down  upon  "  Gideon "  is  not 
obvious.  Had  it  done  so  it  would  certainly  have  occasioned 
personal  inconvenience  (to  say  the  least)  to  that  hero.  But 
Avhat's  in  a  name  ?  Our  critic  was  evidently  thinking  of 
Joshua  and  "  Gibeon,"  and  why  should  a  critic  care  about 
the  difference  between  Amorites  and  Amalekites  ?  It  is  a 
mere  matter  of  spelling, — a  trifle.  Similar  mistakes  in  a 
previous  article  are  apologised  for  in  a  foot-note  appended 
to  that  on  the  "  Unseen  Universe."  Probably  the  author 
designed  the  apology  to  extend  to  it  also,  but  forgot  to  say 
so  ;  again  a  trifle.  But  it  is  of  straws,  some  even  w^eaker 
than  these,  tliat  the  imposing  article  is  built ;  so  that  when 
we  come  forth  to  battle  we  And  nothing  to  reply  to. 

To  reduce  matters  to  order,  we  may  confidently  assert 
that  the  only  reasonable  and  defensive  alternative  to  our 
hypothesis  (or,  at  least,  something  similar  to  it)  is,  the 
stupendous  pair  of  assumptions  that  visible  matter  is  eter- 
nal^ and  that  it  is  alive.  (See  §  235.)  If  any  one  can  be 
found  to  uphold  notions  like  these  (from  a  scientific  point 
of  view),  we  shall  be  most  happy  to  enter  the  lists  with 
him. 

June,  1875. 


PKEFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION. 


Forgetful  of  tlie  splendid  example  shown  by  intel- 
lectual giants  like  Kewton  and  Faraday,  and  aghast  at  the 
materialistic  statements  nowadays  freely  made  (often  pro- 
fessedly in  the  name  of  science),  the  orthodox  in  religion 
are  in  somewhat  evil  case. 

As  a  natural  consequence  of  their  too  hastily-reached 
conclusion,  that  modern  science  is  incompatible  with 
Christian  doctrine,  not  a  few  of  them  have  raised  an  out" 
cry  against  science  itself.  This  result  is  doubly  to  be  de- 
plored ;  for  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  it  is  calculated  to 
do  mischief,  not  merely  to  science  but  to  religion. 

Our  object,  in  the  present  work,  is  to  endeavor  to  show 
that  the  presumed  incompatibility  of  Science  and  Eeligion 
does  not  exist.  This,  indeed,  ought  to  be  self-evident  to 
all  who  believe  that  the  Creator  of  the  universe  is  himself 
the  Author  of  Revelation.  But  it  is  strangely  impressive 
to  note  how  very  little  often  suffices  to  alarm  even  the 
firmest  of  human  faith. 

Of  course  we  cannot,  in  this  small  volume,  enter  upon 
the  whole  of  so  vast  a  subject,  and  we  have  therefore  con- 
tented ourselves  with  a  brief,  though,  we  hope,  sufficiently 


X  PREFACE. 

developed,  discussion  of  one  very  important — even  funda- 
mental— ^point.  We  endeavor  to  show,  in  fact,  that  im- 
mortality is  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  principle  of 
Continuity  (rightly  viewed) ;  that  principle  which  has 
been  the  guide  of  all  modern  scientific  advance.  As  one 
result  of  this  inquiry  we  are  led,  by  strict  reasoning  on 
purely  scientific  grounds,  to  the  probable  conclusion  that 
"  a  life  for  the  unseen,  through  the  unseen,  is  to  be  re- 
garded as  the  only  perfect  life."  {Bee  Chapter  YII.)  We 
need  not  point  out  here  the  bearing  of  this  on  religion. 
Incidentally,  the  reader  will  find  many  remarks  and 
trains  of  reasoning  which  (by  the  alteration  of  a  word  or 
two)  can  be  made  to  apply  to  other  points  of  almost 
equal  importance. 

We  may  state  that  the  ideas  here  developed — very  im- 
perfectly, of  course,  as  must  always  be  the  case  in  matters 
of  the  kind — are  not  the  result  of  hasty  guessing,  but  have 
been  pressed  on  us  by  the  reflections  and  discussions  of 
several  years. 

We  have  to  thank  many  of  our  friends,  theological  as 
well  as  scientific,  for  ready  and  valuable  assistance.  The 
matter  of  our  work  has  certainly  gained  by  this,  though  it 
is  likely  that  the  manner  may  have  suff'ered  by  the  intro- 
duction, here  and  there,  of  peculiarities  of  style  which 
could  not  easily  be  removed  without  damage  to  the  sense. 


OOIsr  TENTS, 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTEODUOTOET  SKETCH. 

Object  of  the  Book     .... 

Two  classes  of  speculators 

Why  doubters  of  iramort9,lity  have  lately  increased 

Belief  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians — 

Separation  between  priests  and  people 
The  abode  of  the  dead     . 
Transmigration  of  souls 
Embalming  of  the  body 

Belief  of  the  Ancient  Hebrews — 
Position  of  Moses 
His  task 

Belief  of  the  Jews  in  an  unseen  world 
Their  belief  in  a  future  state 
Their  belief  in  a  resurrection 

Belief  of  the  Andeiit  Greeks  and  Romans- 
Unsubstantial  nature  of  Elysium 
Transmigration  introduced 
Rise  of  the  Epicurean  school 
Uncertainty  of  philosophic  opinion 

Belief  of  the  Eastern  Aryans — 

TheRig-Yeda      . 

It  inculcates  immortality 

Double  source  of  corruption 

Zoroastrian  reformation  and  tenets 

Reformation  of  Buddha 

Meaning  of  Nirvawa 
Observations  on  ancient  beliefs 


ABTICLE 

PAGB 

1 

1 

2 

2 

3 

8 

4 

4 

5 

5 

6 

5 

n 

6 

8,9 

1 

10 

8 

11 

8 

12 

9 

13 

10 

14 

11 

15 

12 

16 

13 

17 

14 

18 

14 

19 

15 

20 

16 

21,22 

17 

23 

18 

24 

18 

25-29 

19 

Xll 


CONTENTS. 


Belief  of  the  Disciples  of  Christ — 
The  resurrection  of  Christ 
Future  state  taught  by  Christ 
Perishable  nature  of  that  which  is  seen 
The  Christian  Heaven  and  Hell 
General  opinion  regarding  the  person  of  Christ 
General  opinion  regarding  the  position  of  Christ 

Spread  of  the  Christian  religion 

Rise  of  Mohammed     ..... 

Materialistic  conceptions  of  the  dark  ages 

Extreme  scientific  school        .... 

Points  of  similarity  between  this  school  and  Christians 

Varieties  of  opinions  among  Christians' 

Believers  in  a  new  revelation 

Swedenborg  and  his  doctrines 

Remarks  on  Swedenborg        .... 

Modern  spiritualists    ..... 


30 

23 

.  31, 32 

24 

33 

25 

34 

26 

35 

27 

38 

28 

37 

28 

38 

29 

39 

31 

.  40,41 

32 

42 

33 

.  43, 44 

34 

45 

35 

46 

36 

47 

38 

.  48, 49 

39 

CHAPTER  II. 


POSITION   TAKEN   BY   THE   AUTHOES — PHYSICAL   AXIOMS. 


Class  of  readers  to  whom  the  Authors  appeal 

-\  Position  assumed  by  the  Authors — 
/  Laws  of  the  universe  defined 

Embodiment  of  some  sort  essential 
Materialistic  position  described    .  .  . 

Unjustifiable  assumptions  of  materialists 
Intimacy  of  connection  between  mind  and  matter 

Essential  requisites  for  continued  existence — 

An  organ  of  memory        .... 
Possibility  of  action  in  the  present 

Principle  of  Continuity/ — 

Illustrated  by  reference  to  astronomy     ,        •    , 
Breach  of  the  principle  illustrated 
Extension  to  other  faculties  of  man 

Application  of  this  principle  to  Christian  miracles- 
Erroneous  position  of  old  divines 
Such  opposed  to  the  genius  of  Christianity 
New  method  of  explanation 


50-53 


41 


64 

43 

55 

44 

55 

45 

.  66-58 

45 

59 

41 

60 

48 

61 

49 

.  62-75 

49 

76 

55 

77 

56 

78 

66 

79 

57 

.  80-82 

57 

CONTEITTS. 


Application  of  this  principle  to  the  doctrines  of  the  extreme 
scientific  school — 
The  visible  universe  must  come  to  an  end  in  trans- 
formable energy       ..... 

It  must  have  been  developed  out  of  the  invisible 
The  Universe     ...... 

Similar  errors  committed  by  the  extreme  schools  of 
theology  and  science  .... 

Application  of  this  principle  to  Immortality — 
Three  conceivable  suppositions 
These  reduced  to  two  .... 

Future  course  of  our  argument 

The  problem  may  be  profitably  discussed        .  , 


87 


XIU 

PAGE 


84 

59 

85 

60 

86 

61 

62 


88 

62 

89 

62 

90 

63 

91 

63 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE   PEESENT  PHYSICAL   UNIYERSE. 

Definition  of  the  term  "  Physical  Fniverse  " 

It  contains  something  else  besides  matter  or  stuff 

Grounds  of  our  belief  in  an  external  universe 

These  in  accordance  with  our  definition  of  the  laws  of  the 

universe  (Art.  54)  .... 

Meaning  of  conservation 
Conservation  of  Momentum 
Conservation  of  Moment  of  Momentum 
Conservation  of  Vis  Viva 

Definition  of  energy  .... 

Newton's  second  interpretation  of  his  Third  Law 
Friction  changes  work  into  heat 
Historical  sketch  of  the  theory  of  energy 
Transformability  of  energy  constitutes  its  use 
Case  where  energy  is  useless 
Historical  Sketch  of  Second  Law  of  Thermodynamics — 

Camot's  perfect  heat-engine     . 

Sir  W.  Thomson's  definition  of  absolute  temperature 

Melting-point  of  ice  lowered  by  pressure 

Sir  W.  Thomson's  rectification  of  Carnot's  reasoning 

Prof.  J.  Clerk-Maxwell's  demons 

Degradation  of  energy 

Future  of  the  physical  universe 

Past  of  the  physical  universe 


93 

ut 

65 

94 

66 

95 

67 

96 

68 

97 

68 

97 

69 

97 

69 

98,  99 

70 

.   99,  100 

71 

101 

72 

.  102, 103 

73 

104 

76 

105 

76 

106 

77 

}     107 

78 

108 

79 

r    109,  no 

79 

.  111-113 

81 

114 

84 

.  114,  115 

85 

116 

86 

XIV 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  lY. 


MATTER    AND    ETHEE. 

Inquiry  regarding  structure  and  material  of  the  universe, 
Varioii*  hypotheses  regarding  matter — 

(1.)  Greek  notion  of  the  Atom 
Speculations  of  Lucretius 

(2.)  Theory  of  Boscovitch  (centres  of  force) 

(3.)  Theory  of  infinite  divisibility 

(4.)  Vortex-atom  theory 

Remarks  on  these  theories 
Relative  quantity  of  matter  associated  with  energy 

Universal  gravitation — 

Is  a  weak  force  .... 

Two  ways  of  accounting  for  it 
Le  Sage's  hypothesis 

The  Ethereal  medium —  y 

Its  principal  properties  apparently  incongruous 

Analogy  of  Prof  Stokes 

Distortion  and  displacement  of  ether 

Inferior  limit  of  its  density 

Its  supposed  imperfect  transparency 

Remarks  on  ether 
Remarks  on  the  speculations  of  this  chapter 
Modification  of  the  vortex-ring  hypothesis 
Possible  disappearance  of  the  visible  universe 


AETICLB 

PAGB 

IIV 

87 

118 

87 

.  119-180 

89 

131 

94 

132 

95 

.  133,  134 

95 

.  135,  136 

97 

.  IBY,  138 

98 

139 

99 

140 

100 

.  141,  142 

101 

143 

102 

144 

103 

145 

103 

146 

104 

147 

105 

148 

106 

.  149,  150 

107 

.  151,  152 

108 

153 

110 

CHAPTER  V. 


DEVELOPMENT, 


Nature  of  inquiry  stated 

Chemical  development — 

Changes  in  lists  of  elementary  substances 

Prout's  speculations     . 

Experiments  of  M.  Staa 

Family  groups 

Mr.  Lockyer's  speculations 


154 


111 


155 

112 

156 

112 

156 

113 

157 

113 

.  158,  159 

114 

CONTENTS. 


XV 


AETICLB         PA6B 


Globe 

Hypothesis  of  Kant  and  Laplace 
Tendency  to  aggregation  of  mass 
Process  cannot  have  been  going  on  forever 

Peculiarity  of  products  developed  inorganically 


Life  development — 

Morphological  and  physiological  species 

Species  regarded  physiologically 

Position  of  a  certain  class  of  theologians 

Tendency  to  minor  variations 

Artificial  selection 

Natural  selection 

Unproved  point  in  the  Darwinian  hypothesis 

Remarks  of  Mr.  Darwin 

Development  of  the  Darwinian  hypothesis 

Mr.  Wallace's  views     . 

Prof.  Huxley's  remarks 

Position  assumed  by  the  authors 


160 

115 

161, 162 

116 

163 

117 

164 

118 

165 

119 

166 

120 

167 

121 

168 

122 

169 

124 

170 

125 

171 

125 

'   172 

126 

173 

127 

174 

127 

175 

128 

176 

128 

CHAPTER   yi. 


SPECULATIONS   AS   TO    THE   POSSIBILITY   OF   SUPEEIOR   INTELLIGENCES    IN 
THE    VISIBLE    UNIVEESE. 

Position  of  life  in  the  present  physical  universe 
Two  kinds  of  equilibrium    .... 

Two  kinds  of  machines  or  material  systems 
Two  respects  in  which  a  living  being  resembles  a  machine 
A  living  being  resembles  a  delicately  constructed  machine 
The  delicacy  is  due  to  chemical  instability 
Delicacy  of  construction  derived  from  the  sun's  rays 
Delicacy  of  construction  in  atmospheric  changes    . 
Worships  of  powers  of  Nature — mediaeval  superstitions 
Theory  which  attributes  a  soul  to  the  universe 
Real  point  at  issue  stated    .... 

Man  presents  the  highest  order  of  the  present  visible  uni 
verse        ...... 

The  same  idea  pervades  the  Old  Testament 
And  it  likewise  pervades  the  New  Testament 


177 

130 

178 

131 

179 

132 

3     180 

133 

5      181 

134 

182 

135 

183 

136 

184 

136 

185 

138 

186 

139 

187 

139 

- 

188 

140 

189 

141 

.  190, 191 

141 

XVI 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE      UNSEEN     U N I V E E S 


Decadence  of  the  visible  universe   . 

Its  arrangements  apparently  wasteful 

Explanation  of  this 

Memory  of  the  universe 

Connection  between  seen  and  unseen 

Physical  explanation  of  a  future  state  • 

Dr.  Thomas  Young's  conception  of  the  unseen 

Objections  to  the  proposed  theory  of  a  future  state 
Religious  .... 

Theological      .... 
Scientific  .... 


Miracles  and  the  Resurrection  of  Christ — 

Objections  of  extreme  school  stated    . 

Development  has  produced  the  visible  universe 

Its  atoms  resemble  manufactured  articles 

Development  through  intelHgence 

Idea  clothed  in  concrete  form 

Christian  theory  of  the  development  of  the  universe 

Life-development — Biogenesis 

Life  comes  from  the  unseen  universe 

Christian  theory  of  life-development   . 

Position  of  life  in  the  universe  discussed 

Meteoric  hypothesis  implies  Discontinuity 

Position  reviewed         ,  .  .  . 

Miracles  possible  without  breach  of  Continuity 
Peculiar  communication  with  the  unseen  in  the  case  of 
Christ       ...... 

Apparent  breaks  are  concealed  avenues  leading  to  the 
unseen     ...... 

Probable  nature  of  present  connection  between  seen  and 
unseen     ...... 

Angelic  intelligences  .... 

Remarks  on  God's  providential  government 

Our  argument  may  be  very  much  detached  from  all  con 

ceptions  of  the  Divine  essence     . 
Christian  conceptions  of  heaven     .  »  • 


AKTICLB 

PAGB 

.  192,  193 

143 

194 

144 

195 

145 

.  196,  19Y 

146 

.  197,198 

147 

.  199-201 

147 

.  202,  203 

148 

to— 

204 

150 

.  205, 206 

150 

.  207-210 

151 

211 

153 

212 

154 

213 

155 

.  214,215 

156 

216 

157 

.  217-223 

160 

.  224,  225 

163 

226 

165 

227 

166 

.  228-233 

167 

.  234,  235 

173 

236 

175 

237 

176 

I 

238 

176 

le 

239 

A 

177 

240 

178 

241 

179 

.  243,  244 

181 

245 

184 

246 

185 

CONTENTS,  xvii 

Two  ideas  in  all  Christian  hymns    .... 

Possible  glimpse  into  the  conditions  of  the  future  life 

Darker  side  of  the  future     ..... 

Plato  on  the  markings  of  the  soul 

Christian  Gehenna  ..... 

Mediaeval  idea  of  hell  ..... 

The  process  in  the  Gehenna  of  the  New  Testament  appar- 
ently an  enduring  one 

Personality  of  the  Evil  One  asserted  by  Scripture  . 

Brief  statement  of  the  results  of  this  discussion 

The  scientific  conclusion  is  directly  against  the  opponents 

of  Christianity     ......  257         196 

Criticism  invited  from  leaders  of  scientific  thought  or  of 

religious  inquiry  .....  258         196 


AKTIOLB 

PAGB 

247 

187 

248,  249 

188 

250 

189 

251 

190 

252 

191 

253 

192 

254 

193 

255 

194 

256 

195 

THE   UNSEEN  UNIVEESE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY     SKETCH. 

"  L'immortalite  de  I'^me  est  une  chose  qui  nous  importe  si  fort,  et  qui 
nous  louche  si  profondement,  qu'il  faut  avoir  perdu  tout  sentiment  pour  etre 
dans  Findifference  de  savoir  ce  qui  en  est." — Pascal. 

"  For  he  should  persevere  until  he  has  obtained  one  of  two  things ;  either 
he  should  discover  or  learn  the  truth  about  them,  or,  if  this  is  impossible,  I 
would  have  him  take  the  best  and  most  irrefragable  of  human  notions,  and  let 
this  be  the  raft  upon  which  he  sails  through  life — ^not  without  risk,  as  I  admit, 
if  he  cannot  find  some  word  of  God  which  will  more  surely  and  safely  carry 
him." — Plato's  "  Phsedo ; "  translated  by  Jowett. 


1.  The  great  mass  of  mankind  have  always  believed  in 
some  fashion  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul;  but  it  is 
certain  that  we  may  find  disbelievers  in  this  doctrine  who 
yet  retain  the  nobler  attributes  of  humanity.  It  may, 
however,  be  questioned  if  it  be  possible  even  to  imagine 
the  great  bulk  of  our  race  to  have  lost  their  belief  in  the 
soul's  immortality,  and  yet  to  have  retained  the  virtues  of 
civilized  and  well-ordered  communities. 

We  have  said  that  the  disbelievers  in  this  doctrine 
form  a  minority  of  the  race ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  the  strength  of  this  minority  has  of 
1 


2  TEE   UNSEEN   UN  VERSE, 

late  years  greatly  increased,  uutil  at  the  present  moment  it 
numbers  in  its  ranks  not  a  few  of  the  most  intelligent,  the 
most  earnest,  and  the  most  virtuous  of  men. 

It  is,  however,  possible  that,  could  we  examine  these,  we 
should  find  them  to  be  unwilling  disbelievers,  compelled  by 
the  working  of  their  intellects  to  abandon  the  desire  of 
their  hearts,  only  after  many  struggles,  and  much  bitterness 
of  spirit. 

Others,  again,  without  absolutely  abandoning  all  hope 
of  the  soul's  immortality,  are  yet  full  of  doubt  regarding  it, 
and  have  settled  down  into  the  belief  that  we  cannot  come 
to  any  reasonable  conclusion  upon  the  subject.  Now,  these 
men  can  have  had  nothing  to  gain,  but  much  to  lose,  in 
arriving  at  this  result.  It  has  been  reached  with  reluc- 
tance, with  misgivings,  not  without  a  certain  kind  of  perse- 
cution, nor  without  the  loss  of  friends  and  the  stirring  up 
of  strife ;  they  have  fearlessly  looked  things  in  the  face, 
and  have  followed  whithersoever  they  imagined  they  were 
led  by  facts,  even  to  the  brink  of  an  abyss. 

It  is  the  object  of  the  present  volume  to  examine  the 
intellectual  process  that  has  brought  ,about  these  results, 
and  we  hope  to  show  that  the  conclusion  at  which  these 
men  have  arrived  is  not  only  not  justified  by  what  we 
know  of  the  physical  universe,  but  that  on  the  other  hand 
there  are  many  lines  of  thought  which  point  very  strongly 
toward  an  opposite  conclusion. 

2.  A  division  as  old  as  Aristotle  separates '  speculators 
into  two  great  classes — those  who  study  the  How  of  the 
universe,  and  those  who  study  the  Why.  All  men  of 
science  are  embraced  in  the  former  of  these,  all  men  of  re- 
ligion in  the  latter.  The  former  regard  the  universe  as  a 
huge  machine,  and  their  object  is  to  study  the  laws  which 
regulate  its  working ;  the  latter  again  speculate  about  the 
object  of  the  machine,  and  what  sort  of  work  it  is  intended 

'  See  "  Westminster  Sermons,"  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Kingsley. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  3 

to  produce.  The  disciples  of  How  are  accused  by  their 
adversaries  of  being  willing  to  sacrifice  the  individual  to 
the  system ;  while  the  disciples  of  Why  are  accused  by  their 
adversaries  of  being  willing  to  sacrifice  the  system  to  the 
individual. 

We  may  compare  the  universe  to  a  great  ship  plying 
between  two  well-known  ports,  and  carrying  with  her  two 
sets  of  passengers.  The  one  set  keep  on  deck  and  try  to 
make  out,  as  well  as  they  can,  the  mind  of  the  steersman 
regarding  the  future  of  their  voyage  after  they  have 
reached  that  port  to  which  they  know  they  are  all  fast 
hastening,  while  the  other  set  keep  down  below  and  ex- 
amine the  engines.  Occasionally  there  is  much  wrangling 
at  the  top  of  the  ladder  where  the  two  sets  meet,  some  of 
those  who  have  examined  the  engines  and  the  ship  assert- 
ing that  the  passengers  will  all  be  inevitably  wrecked  at 
the  next  port,  it  being  morally  impossible  that  the  good 
ship  can  carry  them  farther.  To  whom  those  on  deck 
reply  that  they  have  perfect  confidence  in  the  steersman, 
who  has  informed  some  of  those  nearest  him  that  the 
passengers  will  not  be  wrecked,  but  will  be  carried  in 
safety  past  the  port.  And  so  the  altercation  goes  on ; 
some  who  have  been  on  deck  being  unwilling  or  unable  to 
examine  the  engines,  and  some  who  have  examined  the 
engines  preferring  to  remain  below. 

3.  Our  readers  will  perceive  from  what  we  have  said, 
that  difficulties  regarding  the  soul's  immortality  are  most 
likely  to  arise  amid  the  disciples  of  How  or  those  who 
study  the  machinery  of  the  universe,  and  inasmuch  as  this 
class  has  greatly  increased  of  late,  it  follows  that  the  dis- 
believers in  or  doabters  of  the  soul's  immortality  have  in- 
creased likewise.  The  disciples  of  Why  have,  on  the  other 
hand,  existed  from  time  immemorial,  and  in  the  plenitude 
of  their  power  have  frequently  carried  themselves  with 
much  violence  toward  the  disciples  of  How,  who  are  of 


4  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

comparatively  modern  origin.  It  must  not,  however,  be 
inferred  that  this  old  and  venerable  family  have  always 
been  at  peace  among  themselves,  for  there  have  been 
numerous  contentions  between  their  various  branches,  not 
the  less  acrimonious  because  the  contending  members  have 
been  to  some  extent  supporters  of  a  common  cause,  be- 
lieving in  some  fashion  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul  and 
the  reality  of  the  world  to  come.  We  shall  therefore 
begin  by  giving  our  readers  a  sketch,  necessarily  a  very 
meagre  one,  of  the  various  beliefs  on  these  subjects  held 
by  the  different  branches  of  this  great  family. 

4.  Let  us  begin  with  the  Egyptians,  who  are  perhaps 
the  most  ancient  people  of  whom  we  have  historical 
records.  Tlie  manners  and  customs  of  this  nation  have 
been  very  minutely  described  by  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson, 
to  whose  work  we  are  chiefly  indebted  for  the  following 
account.  In  the  first  place  it  appears  that  we  must  sepa- 
rate between  what  the  priests  believed  and  what  was  held 
by  the  great  body  of  the  people.  The  bulk  of  the  nation 
were  left  by  the  priests  to  believe  in  a  multiplicity  of 
deities,  and  even  to  reverence  animals  as  divine,  w^hile  on 
the  other  hand  the  higher  orders  of  the  priesthood,  who 
were  initiated  into  the  greater  mysteries  of  their  religion, 
appear  to  have  acknowledged  the  unity  of  God.  These 
believed  in  one  Eternal  God,  from  whom  all  other  deities 
were  produced,  and  whom  they  did  not  permit  themselves 
even  to  name,  far  less  to  represent  under  any  visible  form. 
The  Egyptians  likewise  believed  in  the  existence  of 
demons  or  genii,  who  were  present  unseen  among  man- 
kind— a  belief  apparently  shared  by  Plato,  who  seems  to 
have  adopted  many  of  the  Egyptian  notions,  and  who 
supposed  that  the  Deity  delegated  the  creative  power  to 
beings  inferior  to  himself,  denominated  demons.  Jt  may, 
however,  be  questioned  whether  the  demons  of  Plato  are 
equivalent  to  the  genii  of  the  Egyptians. 


INTR0DUGT0E7  SKETCH.  5 

5.  The  earliest  Egyptian  records  attest  the  belief  of 
this  nation  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul :  "  Dissolution, 
according  to  them,  is  only  the  cause  of  reproduction — 
nothing  perishes  which  has  once  existed,  and  things  which 
appear  to  be  destroyed  only  change  their  natures  and  pass 
into  another  form."  ^ 

Anubis  held  in  Egypt  an  office  similar  to  that  of  Mer- 
cury among  the  Greeks,  being  the  usher  of  souls  in  their 
passage  to  the  future  state.  Amenti  was  the  region  to 
which  the  souls  of  men  were  supposed  to  go  after  death, 
and  Sir  Gardner  "Wilkinson  notices  the  resemblance  be- 
tween this  name  and  that  of  Ement,  "the  "West" — the 
west,  where  the  sun  was  seen  to  sink,  being  looked  upon 
as  the  end  of  the  world.  The  guardian  of  the  lower  regions 
was  called  Ouom-n-Amenti,  or  the  Devourer  of  Amenti. 
It  had  frequently  the  appearance  of  a  hippopotamus,  but 
was  drawn  sometimes  with  the  head  of  a  fanciful  creature 
something  between  the  hippopotamus  and  the  crocodile. 

"  The  judgment  of  the  soul  was  conducted  by  Osiris, 
aided  by  forty-two  assessors,  supposed  to  represent  the 
forty-two  crimes  from  which  a  virtuous  man  was  expected 
to  be  free  when  judged  in  a  future  state,  or  rather  the  ac- 
cusing spirits,  each  of  whom  examined  if  the  deceased  was 
guilty  of  the  peculiar  crime  which  it  was  his  province  to 
avenge". ' 

6.  As  regards  the  fate  of  the  soul  when  once  the  judg- 
ment had  been  passed  upon  it — the  Egyptians  considered 
the  souls  of  men  to  be  emanations  of  the  divine  soul,  and 
each  was  supposed  to  return  to  its  divine  origin  when  suf- 
ficiently pure  to  unite  with  the  Deity.  On  the  other  hand, 
those  who  had  been  guilty  of  sin  were  doomed  to  pass 
through  the  bodies  of  different  animals  in  order  that  they 
might  at  last  become  sufficiently  purified.  It  was  proba- 
bly imagined  that  the  disgusting  nature  of  sin  would  be 

1  Wilkinson.  2  Ibid. 


6  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVEESE. 

best  realized  by  a  lengthened  sojourn  in  the  bodies  of  un- 
clean animals  like  the  pig. 

This  doctrine  of  transmigration  appears  to  have  become 
changed,  at  least  among  some  of  its  disciples,  into  the  form 
described  by  Herodotus  and  Plato.  The  latter,  referring 
no  doubt  to  the  doctrine  of  the  preexistence  of  souls,  and 
to  the  view  that  it  is  a  punishment  to  become  coi'poreal  at 
all,  tells  us :  "  If  any  one's  life  has  been  virtuous  he  shall 
obtain  a  better  fate  hereafter ;  if  wicked,  a  worse.  But 
no  soul  will  return  to  its  pristine  condition  till  the  expira- 
tion of  ten  thousand  years,  since  it  will  not  recover  the  use 
of  its  wings  until  that  period,  except  it  be  the  soul  o^ione 
who  has  philosophized  sincerely  or  together  with  philoso- 
phy has  loved  beautiful  forms.  These  indeed  in  the  third 
period  of  a  thousand  years,  if  they  have  thrice  chosen  this 
mode  of  life  in  succession,  .  .  .  shall  in  the  three  thousandth 
year  fly  away  to  their  pristine  abode,  but  other  souls,  being 
arrived  at  the  end  of  their  first  life,  shall  be  judged.  And 
of  those  who  are  judged,  some,  proceeding  to  a  subterrane- 
ous place  of  judgment,  shall  there  sustain  the  punishments 
they  have  deserved ;  but  others,  in  consequence  of  a  favor- 
able judgment,  being  elevated  into  a  certain  celestial  place, 
shall  pass  their  time  in  a  manner  becoming  the  life  they 
have  lived  in  a  human  shape.  And  in  the  thousandth  year 
both  the  kinds  of  those  who  have  been  judged,  returning 
to  the  lot  and  election  of  a  second  life,  shall  each  of  them 
receive  a  life  agreeable  to  his  desire.  H6re  also  the  human 
soul  shall  pass  into  the  life  of  a  beast,  and  from  that  of  a 
beast  again  into  a  man  if  it  has  first  been  the  soul  of  a  man. 
For  the  soul  which  has  never  perceived  the  truth  cannot 
pass  into  the  human  form."  ^ 

7.  It  is  considered  probable  that  the  Egyptian  custom 
of  embalming  the  body  had  some  relation  to  this  religious 
doctrine,  and  before  the  mummy  was  allowed  burial  it  had 

1  "  Phaedrus,"  quoted  by  Wilkinson. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  7 

to  be  judged  and  acq^iitted  by  terrestrial  authorities,  in 
imitation  of  the  judgment  which  was  believed  to  take  place 
in  the  world  of  spirits.  Diodorus  gives  a  detailed  account 
of  the  ceremonies  which  then  took  place,  in  which  forty- 
two  judges  were  summoned  to  act  as  assessors  and  deter- 
mine the  fate  of  the  body.  If  it  could  be  proved  that  the 
deceased  had  led  an  evil  life,  his  body  was  deprived  of  the 
accustomed  burial,  and  on  such  occasions  the  grief  and 
shame  felt  by  the  family  were  excessive.  Diodorus  con- 
siders that  this  was  in  itself  a  strong  inducement  to  every 
one  to  abstain  from  crime,  and  praises  very  strongly  the 
authors  of  so  wise  an  institution. 

With  this  we  must  agree,  remarking,  however,  that  the 
inducement  to  abstain  from  crime  was  in  all  probability 
derived  more  from  the  disgrace  brought  upon  the  family, 
when  sepulture  was  refused,  than  from  the  awful  sentence 
in  the  world  of  spirits,  which  this  refusal  was  supposed  to 
foreshadow. 

8.  Let  us  next  consider  the  ancient  belief  of  the  He- 
brew nation. 

Referring  to  the  records  of  this  nation,  we  find  that  at 
an  early  period  they  had  been  slaves  or  serfs  to  the  Egyp- 
tians, from  whom  they  were  delivered  by  Moses,  who  be- 
came afterward  their  lawgiver.  Moses  had  by  a  species 
of  adoption  obtained  a  very  prominent  position  among 
the  Egyptians,  and  had  probably  been  initiated  into  their 
sacred  mysteries,  for  we  read  that  he  was  "  learned  in  all 
the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians."  Without  discussing  the 
question  of  inspiration,  we  may  readily  imagine  that,  him- 
self a  believer  in  the  unity  of  Grod,  this  sagacious  leader 
must  have  perceived  the  deficiency  of  a  religious  system 
in  which  the  truth  was  confined  to  a  few,  while  the  many 
were  allowed  to  remain  in  the  most  degrading  idolatry. 

lie  was  thus  in  a  fit  state  to  recognize  the  paramount 
importance  of   the  whole  mind  and  mass  of  the  nation 


8  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

being  pervaded  witli  a  belief  in  one  invisible,  ever-present, 
ever-living  God.  We  do  not,  however,  mean  to  assert 
that  Moses  got  his  religious  notions  from  Egypt,  but  we 
think  it  possible  that  his  mind  may  have  been  prepared  by 
the  failure  of  the  Egyptian  system  to  receive  a  better  one. 

9.  In  the  Egyptian  system  there  were  two  peculiarities 
which  were  probably  connected  together.  We  have  seen 
(Art.  4)  that  among  the  higher  orders  of  the  priesthood 
there  was  a  profound,  but  at  the  same  time  a  superstitious, 
reverence  for  the  name  of  God,  who  was  unnamed  and 
unapproachable,  unless  under  some  deified  attribute.  At 
the  same  time  there  was,  and  probably  in  consequence  of 
the  former,  an  ignorance  of  the  unity  of  God  among  the 
great  mass  of  the  people,  and  a  worship  of  the  various  dei- 
fied attributes  of  one  supreme  being  as  so  many  separate 
divinities. 

10.  l^ow,  the  task  that  Moses  believed  himself  divinely 
commissioned  to  accomplish  was  the  revelation  of  this  one 
living  and  ruling  God  to  the  whole  body  of  his  country- 
men. Thus  we  find  God,  in  the  sacred  writings  of  the 
Jews,  saying  to  Moses  :  "  I  am  the  Lord  (Jehovah),  and  I 
appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  by 
the  name  of  God  Almighty  (El  Shaddai) ;  but  by  my  name 
Jehovah  was  I  not  known  to  them."  ^  We  do  not,  how- 
ever, intend  to  discuss  the  precise  meaning  of  the  two 
names  of  God  which  we  find  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures — 
sufficient  for  us  that  Moses  endeavored  to  impress  upon 
his  people  the  unity  and  ever-living  presence  of  the  Divine 
Being. 

11.  Again,  it  would  appear  that  the  Jews,  in  addition 
to  their  belief  as  a  nation  in  the  unity  of  God,  believed 
also  in  the  reality  of  an  invisible  world  containing  spir- 
itual intelligences,  some  of  whom  were  the  loyal  servants 
and  messengers  of  God ;  while  others  delighted  in  the 

1  Ex.  vi.  3. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  9 

endeavor  to  thwart  his  counsels,  and  were  in  rebellion 
against  him.  Apparently  both  orders  of  these  were  sup- 
posed to  have  very  considerable  power,  not  only  over  the 
minds  and  bodies  of  men,  but  also  over  the  operations  of 
Nature.  Thus  two  angels  were  commissioned  by  God  to 
destroy  Sodom ;  ^  and  again,  in  the  poem  of  Job,  when 
Satan  received  power  over  the  patriarch,  he  overwhelmed 
him  by  at  once  inciting  robbers  who  plundered  his  sub- 
stance, killing  his  children  by  a  wind  from  the  wilderness, 
and  finally  smiting  the  body  of  Job  himself  with  a  loath- 
some disease. 

It  is  perhaps  worthy  of  note  that  while  we  read  in 
these  records  of  various  appearances  of  good  spirits  in  the 
human  form,  we  have  no  certain  account  of  any  such  mani- 
festation of  evil  spirits.  It  may  even  be  supposed  that  a 
good  deal  of  the  demon  ology  of  Scripture  belongs  to  po- 
etic or  semi-parabolic  representation  of  spiritual  truths. 
Thus  Coleridge  and  others  have  thought  that  the  Satan  of 
Job  is  only  the  dramatic  accuser  or  adversary  imagined  by 
the  poet. 

12.  Yery  little  is  said  about  man's  future  state  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Jews,  and,  although  there  are  a  few  scat- 
tered passages  which  favor  immortality,  yet  these  are  so 
few  that  we  cannot  err  if  w^e  maintain  that  this  doctrine 
was  not  brought  before  the  mind  of  the  Hebrew  nation  in 
the  same  way  as  was  the  presence  and  unity  of  God.  It 
seems  to  us  that  Dean  Stanley's  conjecture  is  probably  cor- 
rect where  he  says,  with  reference  to  this  omission :  "  J^ot 
from  want  of  religion,  but  (if  we  might  use  the  expres- 
sion) from  excess  of  religion,  was  this  void  left  in  the  Jew- 
ish mind.  The  future  life  was  not  denied  or  contradicted, 
but  it  was  overlooked,  .set  aside,  overshadowed  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  living,  actual  presence  of  God  himself. 
That  truth,  at  least  in  the  liriited  conceptions  of  the  youth- 

*  Gen.  xix.  12. 


10  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVEESE. 

ful  nation,  was  too  vast  to  admit  of  any  rival  truth,  how- 
ever precious.  When  David  or  Ilezekiah  slirank  from  the 
gloomy  vacancy  of  the  grave,  it  was  because  they  feared 
lest,  when  death  closed  their  eyes  in  the  present  world, 
they  should  lose  their  hold  on  that  Divine  friend  with 
whose  being  and  communion  the  present  world  had  in 
their  minds  been  so  closely  interwoven."  ^  It  ought,  how- 
ever, to  be  borne  in  mind  that  all  along  the  Jews  believed 
in  Hades  (Sheol),  of  which  there  are  numerous  proofs 
throughout  the  Old  Testament.  Indeed,  a  learned  Hebra- 
ist has  assured  us  that  the  Hebrew  word  for  the  abstract 
notion  "  life,"  whenever  it  refers  to  a  rational  being,  is  a 
phiralis  tantum,  "  Hayim  "  while  the  word  for  the  ab- 
stract notion  "  death"  is  a  singular,  "  maveth,"  thus  estab- 
lishing by  the  very  character  of  the  language  the  existence 
among  the  people  of  the  belief  in  more  than  one  condition 
of  life. 

13.  As  the  nation  grew  older  we  find  frequent  and  dis- 
tinct allusions  indicating  a  belief  in  a  resurrection  of  some 
kind.  Thus  we  find  the  angel  saying  to  Daniel :  "  Go  thy 
way  till  the  end  be ;  for  thou  shalt  rest,  and  stand  in  thy 
lot  at  the  end  of  the  days."  ^  Again,  in  the  Apoorypha,  we 
find  one  of  seven  brethren  who  were  put  to  death  by  An- 
tiochus,  saying  to  that  tyrant :  "  It  is  good,  being  put  to 
death  by  men,  to  look  for  hope  from  God,  to  be  raised  up 
again  by  him  ;  as  for  thee,  thou  shalt  have  no  resurrection 
to  life,"  ^  and  the  other  brethren  spoke  in  like  manner. 
Here  it  is  evident  from  the  whole  chapter  that  the  hope 
expressed  was  rather  the  result  of  perfect  trust  in  God  than 
derived  from  any  process  of  their  own  reason,  or  even 
from  any  revelation  on  the  subject  which  they  imagined 
to  have  been  made. 

We  have  likewise  the  testimony  of  Josephus  as  well  as 
of  the  ]^ew  Testament  that  the  Pharisees  believed*  in  a 

1 "  Lectures  on  the  Jewish  Church."       ^  Dan.  xii.  13.       "  2  Mace.  vli.  14. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  11 

resTirrection.  Josef  hus  tells  us :  *'  They  [tlie  Pharisees] 
say  that  all  souls  are  incorruptible,  but  that  the  souls  of 
good  men  only  are  removed  into  other  bodies,  but  that  the 
souls  of  bad  men  are  subject  to  eternal  punishment."^ 
Again,  we  learn  from  the  same  two  authorities  that^  the 
Sadducees  held  skeptical  notions  on  the  subject,  and  Jose- 
phus  says,  "  They  take  away  the  belief  of  the  immortal 
duration  of  the  soul,  and  the  punishments  and  rewards  in 
Hades." 

14.  If  we  next  turn  to  the  Greek  and  Roman  mytholo- 
gies we  find  ideas  of  a  future  state  very  similar  to  those 
entertained  by  the  Egyptians,  from  whom  probably  the 
Greek  notions  were  originally  largely  derived. 

They  called  by  the  name  of  Elysium  the  abode  appro- 
priated to  the  souls  of  the  good,  while  those  of  the  wicked 
suffered  punishment  in  Tartarus.  It  has  been  well  re- 
marked by  Archbishop  "Wliately  that  these  regions  were 
supposed  to  be  of  the  most  dreamy  and  unsubstantial  na- 
ture : 

"The  poet  [remarks  Whately]  from  whom  so  many 
were  content  to  derive  their  creed  [meaning  Homer]  rep- 
resents Achilles  among  the  shades  as  declaring  that  the 
life  of  the  meanest  drudge  on  earth  is  preferable  to  the 
very  highest  of  the  unsubstantial  glories  of  Elysium : 

BovXoifiT^v  /c'  hirapovpoi,  kuv  d^Tevi/j.ev  aA/l^, 
'Avdpl  nap'  a/c/l^pcj,  w  p)  ^iorog  ttoTivq  eItj^ 
"^H  Tzaaiv  veKveaat  KuraipdifiEvoicFiv  avdaaeiv. 

It  is  remarkable  too  that  the  same  poet  seems  plainly  to 
regard  the  hody,  not  the  soul,  as  being  properly  '  the  man' 
after  death  has  separated  them.  We  should  be  apt  to  say 
that  such  a  one's  body  is  here,  and  that  he,  properly  the 
person  himself,  is  departed  to  the  other  world ;  but  Homer 
uses  the  very  opposite  language  in  speaking  of  the  heroes 

1  "  Wars  of  the  Jews,"  11.,  viii.,  14. 


12  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

slain  before  Troy:  viz.,  that  tlieir  souls  were  dispatched 
to  tlie  shades,  and  that  they  themselves  were  left  a  prey 
to  dogs  and  birds : 

TLollag  6'  Wipifiovg  "J'TXAS  'A'iSi  Trpotaipev 
''H.o6o)Vj  ATT0Y2  6e  eXupia  revxe  kvvegglv."  * 

We  agree  with  this  writer  that  the  belief  in  an  unsub- 
stantial region  of  this  description  can  have  had  no  real  in- 
fluence either  in  deterring  men  from  vice,  or  encouraging 
them  to  virtue.  Indeed,  its  inevitable  tendency  was  to  fos- 
ter an  undue  regard  for  the  pleasures  of  this  present  life, 
to  the  absolute  discouragement  of  goodness  and  virtue. 
For  while  we  of  the  present  day  regard  the  future  life  as 
in  some  sense  the  reward  of  piety  and  goodness,  the  an- 
cients looked  upon  Hades  rather  as  a  penalty  which  inex- 
orable fate  had  reserved  for  all  men,  and  from  which  even 
piety  and  goodness  were  powerless  to  exempt  their  pos- 
sessors : 

"  Cum  semel  occideris,  et  de  te  splendita  Minos 
Fecerit  arbitria ; 
Non,  Torquate,  genus,  non  te  facundia,  non  te 

Eestituet  pietas. 
Infernis  neque  enim  tenebris  Diana  pudicum 

Liberat  Hippolytum ; 
Nee  Lethsea  valet  Theseus  abrumpere  caro 
Vincula  Pirithoo." 

15.  The  active-minded  as  TVell  as  the  gross-minded  mem- 
bers of  the  community  could  hardly  be  expected  to  care 
much  for  such  an  unsubstantial  future,  and  this  considera- 
tion may  probably  have  led  to  the  readier  acceptance  of  the 
doctrine  of  some  of  the  Greek  philosophers  who  introduced 
a  bodily  state  after  death.  But  these,  in  so  doing,  rather 
favored  the  doctrine  of  transmigration  than  that  of  a  resur- 
rection of  the  body  which  was  seen  to  die,  and  which,  after 
being  devoured  by  dogs,  or  destroyed  in  some  other  manner, 

*  "  Essays  on  some  of  the  Peculiarities  of  the  Christian  Religion." 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  13 

the  J  could  hardly  conceive  to  rise  again.  It  is  well  known 
that  Pythagoras  taught  the  doctrine  of  transmigration, 
although  as  none  of  his  writings  have  come  down  to  us  we 
are  not  sure  of  the  exact  manner  in  which  he  held  it.  Plato 
also,  in  a  passage  already  quoted  (Art.  6),  alludes  to  a 
similar  doctrine  which  he  had  probably  derived  from  the 
Egyptians.  A  certain  degree  of  choice  is  here  supposed 
to  be  left  to  the  soul,  and  those  who  cannot  attain  to  the 
more  ethereal  and  refined  existence,  have  to  choose  a  bod- 
ily one,  returning,  after  they  have  become  sufficiently  puri- 
fied, once  more  into  human  shape. 

16.  As  a  matter  of  course,  a  dim  belief  of  this  nature 
gave  rise  to  a  class  of  philosophers  who  denied  the  possi- 
bility of  a  future  state  altogether.  The  advent  of  this 
school  of  thought  was  probably  hastened  by  outward  events. 
In  the  golden  age  of  Greece  a  vigorous  republic  served  to 
concentrate  upon  itself  the  energies  of  the  citizens,  and 
under  these  circumstances  their  minds  were  not  likely  to 
question  the  truth  of  the  national  creed.  While  the  gods 
smiled  upon  them  they  were  content  to  acknowledge  their 
active  existence.  It  has  been  remarked  by  Schmitz,  that 
the  unfavorable  political  circumstances  of  the  time  may 
have  been  concerned  in  the  rise  of  the  Epicurean  school — 
"  thinking  men  were  led  to  seek  within  for  that  which  they 
could  not  find  without.  .  .  .  The  gods  of  Epicurus,"  this 
writer  goes  on  to  remark,  "  consisted  of  atoms,  and  were 
in  the  enjoyment  of  perfect  happiness,  which  had  not  been 
disturbed  by  the  laborious  business  of  creating  the  world, 
and  as  the  government  of  the  world  would  interfere  with 
their  happiness,  Epicurus  conceived  them  as  exercising  no 
influence  whatever  upon  the  world  or  man." 

It  is  of  such  gods  the  poet  speaks  when  he  says : 

"  For  they  lie  beside  their  nectar,  and  the  boats  are  hurled 
Far  below  them  in  the  valleys,  and  the  clouds  are  lightly  curled 
Round  their  golden  houses,  girdled  with  the  gleaming  world 


14  THE  UNSEUN  Um  VERSE. 

Where  they  smile  in  secret,  looking  over  wasted  lands, 

Blight  and  famine,  plague  and  earthquake,  roaring  deeps  and  fiery 

sands. 
Clanging  fights,  and  flaming  towns,  and  slaking  ships,  and  praying 

hands." 

The  ancient  Koman  poet  Lucretius,  in  his  well-known 
poem  -'  De  Eerum  Natura,"  has  beautifully  interpreted 
the  Epicurean  philosophy.  Adopting,  like  Epicurus,  the 
atomic  or  corpuscular  theory  of  things,  he  tells  his  readers 
that  the  soul  of  man  perishes  along  with  the  body,  and 
that  it  is  the  height  of  folly  for  man  to  be  afraid  of  that 
which  may  happen  to  him  after  death. 

17.  It  is  unnecessary  to  discuss  in  detail  the  tenets  of 
the  various  Greek  and  Roman  philosophers.  A  number 
of  indefinite,  and  sometimes  contradictory,  expressions 
sufficiently  betray  the  uncertainty  of  their  opinions.  De- 
sirous, it  may  be,  to  believe  themselves — desirous  at  least 
that  the  body  of  their  countrymen  should  believe  in  a  fu- 
ture state,  yet  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  should  have 
felt  strongly  the  difficulty  of  believing,  or  have  expressed 
their  doubts  in  writings  which  were  not  intended  to  be 
read  by  the  great  mass  of  the  people. 

18.  Proceeding  now  to  the  extreme  East,  it  is  well  known 
that  of  late  years  very  great  light  has  been  thrown  upon 
the  ancient  religions  of  the  Brahraans,  the  Magians,  and 
the  Buddhists.  In  an  admirable  collection  of  essays  by 
Prof.  Max  Miiller,^  we  have  a  good  epitome  of  what  has 
been  accomplished  by  the  laborious  investigations  of  Ori- 
ental scholars.  We  learn  from  these  that  the  most  ancient 
document  is  the  Rig-Yeda,  or  sacred  hymns  of  the  Brah- 
mans,  in  which  we  have  the  rgligious  belief  of  a  large  sec- 
tion of  the  Indo-Germanic  race  at  a  period  supposed  to  be 
from  1,200  to  2,000  years  before  the  Christian  era.  In 
these  hymns  the  gods  are  called  Deva,  a  word  which  is 

*  "  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop." 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  15 

conjectured  to  be  the  same  with  the  Latin  Dens.  "  It 
would  be  easy,"  says  Max  Miiller,  "  to  find  in  the  numer- 
ous hymns  of  the  Yeda  passages  in  which  every  important 
deity  is  represented  as  supreme  and  absolute.  Thus  in  one 
hymn,  Agni  (fire)  is  called  Hhe  ruler  of  the  universe.' 
....  In  another  hymn,  another  god,  Indra,  is  said  to 
be  greater  than  all.  '  The  gods,'  it  is  said,  '  do  not  reach 
thee,  Indra,  nor  men — thou  overcomest  all  creatures  in 
strength.'  .  .  .  Another  god,  Soma,  is  called  the  king 
of  the  world,  the  king  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  conquer- 
or of  all.  .  .  .  Another  poet  says  of  another  god,  Ya- 
ru72,a,  '  Thou  art  lord  of  all,  of  heaven  and  earth ;  thou 
art  the  king  of  all,  of  those  who  are  gods,  and  of  those 
who  are  men.'  .  .  .  This  surely,"  remarks  Max  Miil- 
ler, "  is  not  what  is  commonly  understood  by  Polytheism. 
Yet,  it  would  be  equally  wrong  to  call  it  Monotheism.  If 
we  must  have  a  name  for  it,  I  should  call  it  Kathenothe- 
ism.  The  consciousness  that  all  the  deities  are  but  dif- 
ferent names  of  one  and  the  same  godhead  breaks  forth, 
indeed,  here  and  there  in  the  Yeda.  But  it  is  far  from 
being  general.  One  poet,  for  instance,  says :  '  They  call 
him  Indra,  Mitra,  Yarmia,  Agni ;  then  he  is  the  beautiful- 
winged,  heavenly  Garutmat — that  which  is  one,  the  wise 
call  it,  in  divers  manners ;  they  call  it  Agni,  Yama,  Ma- 
tari^van." 

19.  We  learn  from  the  same  author  that  "  there  is  in 
the  Yeda  no  trace  of  metempsychosis,  or  that  transmigra- 
tion of  souls  from  human  to  animal  bodies  which  is  gener- 
ally supposed  to  be  a  distinguishing  feature  of  Indian  re- 
ligion. Instead  of  this  we  find  what  is  really  the  sine  qua 
non  of  all  real  religion,  a  belief  in  immortality  and  in  per- 
sonal immortality.  .  .  .  Thus  we  read.  He  who  gives 
alms  goes  to  the  highest  place  in  heaven ;  he  goes  to  the 
gods.  .  .  .    Again  we  find  this  prayer  addressed  to  Soma : 

"  Where  there  is  eternal  light,  in  the  world  where  the 


16  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

sun  is  placed,  in  that  immortal,  imperisliable  world,  place 
me,  O  Soma ! 

"  Where  King  Vaivasvata  reigns,  where  the  secret 
place  of  heaven  is,  where  these  mighty  waters  are,  there 
make  me  immortal ! 

"  Where  there  is  happiness  and  delight,  where  joy  and 
pleasure  reside,  where  the  desires  of  our  desire  are  at- 
tained, there  make  me  immortal !  " 

Max  Miiller  further  remarks  that  the  Rig-Yeda  con- 
tains allusions,  although  yague,  to  a  place  of  punishment 
for  the  wicked.  "  The  dogs  of  Yama,  the  king  of  the 
departed,  present  some  terrible  aspects,  and  Yama  is  asked 
to  protect  the  departed  from  them.  Again,  a  pit  is  men- 
tioned, into  which  the  lawless  are  said  to  be  hurled  down, 
and  into  which  Indra  casts  those  who  offer  no  sacrifices." 

20.  A  religion  like  this,  however  pure  at  its  commence- 
ment, was  likely  soon  to  become  corrupted.  It  soon 
merged  into  idolatry  and  polytheism,  as  far  at  least  as  the 
main  body  of  the  worshipers  were  concerned,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  rule  of  the  Brahmans  or  officiating 
priests  became  strengthened  into  an  insupportable  social 
tyranny.  Thus  a  double  reformation  was  to  be  appre- 
hended, corresponding  on  the  one  hand  to  the  religious, 
and  on  the  other  to  the  ceremonial  and  social,  development 
of  the  system. 

21.  The  first  reformation  was  that  attributed  to  Zoro- 
aster and  \is  disciples,  whose  belief  is  contained  in  the 
Zend-Avesta.  In  his  confession  of  faith,  the  disciple  of 
the  Eranian  or  Zoroastrian  religion  declares,  "  I  cease  to 
be  a  worshiper  of  the  daevas." 

It  must,  however,  be  remembered  that  in  this  religion 
daeva  means  devil,  or  evil  spirit.  Thus  the  earliest  forms 
of  the  Zoroastrian  religion  need  not  have  excluded,  and 
apparently  did  not  exclude,  the  worship  of  good  spirits. 

While  the  Zoroastrian  disciples  believed  in  a  supreme 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH,  IT 

God  who  rules  tlie  world,  they  yet  gave  a  prominent  place 
to  a  spirit  of  evil,  wliieli  afterward  received  the  name  of 
Ahriman,  and  was  supposed  to  exercise  very  considerable 
influence  over  the  order  of  IS'ature  and  the  minds  of  men. 
Indeed,  Ahriman  is  apparently  an  independent  power  so 
strong  that  but  for  the  fact  that  he  acts  before  he  thinks, 
while  Ormuzd  (the  good  spirit)  thinks  before  he  acts,  the 
victory  of  good  would  be  doubtful.  The  whole  system 
hinges  on  this  and  on  the  fact  that  every  thing  noxious  and 
evil  in  creation  is  the  work  of  Ahriman. 

Max  Miiller  is  of  opinion  that  "  the  Zoroastrian  religion 
was  founded  on  a  solemn  protest  against  the  whole  worship 
of  the  powers  of  Nature  involved  in  the  Yedas ; "  and  again 
the  same  writer  says :  "  The  characteristic  change  that  has 
taken  place  between  the  Yeda  and  A  vesta  is,  that  the 
battle  is  no  longer  a  conflict  of  gods  and  demons  for  cows  " 
(alluding  to  a  Yaidik  myth),  "  nor  of  light  and  darkness  for 
rain.  It  is  the  battle  of  a  pious  man  against  the  power  of 
evil." 

22.  The  disciples  of  the  Zoroastrian  religion  believed  in 
a  future  state ;  the  ill-speaker  (the  devil),  we  are  told  in 
the  Zend-Avesta,  shall  not  destroy  the  second  life. 

The  following  extracts  given  by  Max  Miiller  from  a 
catechism  of  the  modern  Parsis  or  disciples  of  Zoroaster 
give  us  a  very  good  idea  of  their  present  creed  : 

"  Q'  Whom  do  we  of  the  Zarthosti  community  believe 
in? 

"  A.  We  believe  in  only  one  God,  and  we  do  not  be- 
lieve in  any  besides  him. 

"  Q.  Do  we  not  believe  in  any  other  God? 

"  A.  Whoever  believes  in  any  other  God  but  this  is  an 
infldel,  and  shall  suffer  the  punishment  of  hell." 
^     In  another  extract  the  disciples  are  told  that  in  the 
world  to  come  they  shall  receive  the  return  according  to 
their  actions. 


18  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

23.  The  next  reform  of  tlie  Erahminical  system  had 
reference  to  its  social  characteristics,  and  was  occasioned 
by  the  insupportable  tyranny  of  the  priesthood.  The  re- 
former, a  yomig  prince,  was.  born  about  500  years  b.  c, 
and  from  his  life  and  doctrines  received  the  name  of 
Buddha,  or  the  Enlightened.  After  having  learned  from 
various  famous  Brahmans,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
their  austerities  and  doctrines  could  neither  free  men  from 
the  miseries  of  this  life  nor  from  the  fear  of  death.  From 
this  stage  Buddha  passed  into  the  belief  that  all  we  see  is 
vanity — a  delusion,  a  dream — and  that  the  highest  wis- 
dom consists  in  perceiving  this,  and  in  desiring  to  enter 
into  Mrva^a,  or,  in  other  words,  to  be  blown  out  like  a 
flame. 

It  would  seem  from  these  words  that  Buddha  himself 
regarded  annihilation  rather  than  immortality  as  the  sum- 
mum  honum  /  but  no  account  of  Buddhism  would  be 
satisfactory  which  did  not  pay  special  regard  to  the  notion 
so  widely  diffused  in  heathenism,  that  matter  is  the  source 
of  all  evil.  To  be  liberated  from  matter  is  to  be  liberated 
from  evil;  and  this  would  seem  to  be  the  fundamental 
thought  in  the  Mrvd/ia  in  all  its  different  senses.  But, 
however  this  may  be,  we  know  that,  allied  to  tliese  extreme 
metaphysical  opinions,  Buddha  inculcated  a  moral  code 
which  is  one  of  the  purest  the  world  has  ever  known.  M. 
Laboulaye  says,  "  It  is  difficult  to  comprehend  how  men 
not  assisted  by  revelation  could  have  soared  so  high  ; "  and 
M.  Barthelemy-Saint-IIilaire  does  not  hesitate  to  assert 
that,  "  with  the  sole  exception  of  Christ,  there  is  not  among 
the  founders  of  religion  a  more  pure  or  touching  figure 
than  that  of  Buddha." 

24.  In  process  of  time,  among  the  followers  of  the 
Buddhist  religion,  the  word  ISTirvaTia  came  to  have  a  very 
different  meaning  from  that  which  it  had  at  first.  Bmidha 
was  himself  worshiped   as  a  divinity,  and  his  NirviWa 


INTRODUCTORY  SK^^TGH, 


came  to  denote  a  state  in  which  there  w^j^j^^thts^ibl 
of  pain,  or  in  other  words  an  Elysium. 

In  ilhistration  of  this  we  may  quote  the  account  given 
by  Max  Miiller  of  the  dying  words  of  Hiouen-thsang,  a 
famous  pilgrim  from  China  to  the  shrine  of  Buddha,  who 
died  in  tlie  year  of  our  era  Q^^ : 

"  I  desire,"  he  said,  "  that  whatever  merits  I  may  have 
gained  by  good  works  may  fall  upon  other  people.  May  I 
be  born  again  with  them  in  the  heaven  of  the  blessed,  be 
admitted  to  the  family  of  Mi-le,  and  serve  the  Buddha  of 
the  future  who  is  full  of  kindness  and  affection.  When  I 
descend  again  upon  earth,  to  pass  through  other  forms  of 
existence,  I  desire  at  every  new  birth  to  fulfill  my  duties 
toward  Buddha,  and  arrive  at  the  last  at  the  highest  and 
most  perfect  intelligence." 

25.  Having  thus  surveyed,  however  imperfectly,  the 
belief  regarding  a  future  state  held  by  the  greater  nations 
both  of  the  East  and  West  before  the  advent  of  Christiani- 
ty, let  us  now  make  a  few  observations. 

In  the  first  place,  there  are  manifestly  two  ways  in 
which  such  a  belief  may  be  held.  In  one  of  these  it  be- 
comes the  natural  result  of  an  implicit  faith  in  God  and 
his  goodness,  which  will  not  suffer  him  to  disappoint  the . 
natural  and  innate  longings  of  his  intelligent  creatures. 
And  such  a  belief  is  more  likely  to  arise  among  a  nation 
which  has  already  vividly  realized  the  living  presence  and 
goodness  of  God.  N^ow  the  ancient  Jews  were  such  a 
nation,  and  the  belief  that  even  death  cannot  break  the 
fellowship  of  the  believer  with  God  comes  out  clearly 
enough  in  several  Psalms.  Moreover,  the  notion  of  some 
sort  of  future  life  lies  clearly  in  what  is  said  of  Enoch. 
All  this  goes  beyond  the  mere  notion  of  Sheol,  which  is 
not  thought  of  as  a  happy  place.  But  in  the  time  of  the 
Maccabees  this  had  grown  into  a  definite  belief  in  the 
resurrection,  and,  without  insisting  on  the  truthfulness  of 


20  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVEBSE. 

tlie  Second  Book  of  Maccabees  as  an  historical  document, 
we  may  jet  be  sure  that  it  has  embodied  the  feelings  of 
the  Jewish  nation.  It  is  of  little  consequence  whether  a 
mother  and  seven  brethren  were  actually  put  to  death  be- 
cause they  would  not  transgress  what  they  believed  to  be 
the  laws  of  God,  or  whether  in  dying  they  expressed  their 
belief  that  they  would  be  continued  in  a  bodily  existence 
by  the  Creator.  For  it  is  manifest  from  what  we  know  of 
the  Jews,  that  not  merely  one  family  but  many  would, 
under  similar  circumstances,  have  acted  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed by  the  historian,  dying  with  the  same  fortitude 
and  encouraged  by  the  same  hope.  We  have  here  a  region 
in  which  there  is  no  thought  of  the  How — this  troublesome 
question  has  not  yet  arisen,  nor  is  it  likely  to  arise.  I^o 
doubt  has  yet  been  entertained  regarding  the  power  of 
God,  nor  would  such  a  doubt  be  likely  to  receive  much 
encouragement  here. 

26..  But  the  human  mind  will  not  refrain  from  specu- 
lation, and  this  brings  us  to  the  second  method  in  which  a 
belief  regarding  a  future  state  may  be  held.  It '  may  be 
held  after  a  mode  determined  by  speculations  regarding 
the  possible  conditions  of  a  future  state.  Such  specula- 
tions may  of  course  take  every  variety  of  form,  but  yet 
there  are  three  well-defined  classes  into  which  they  natu- 
rally group  themselves : 

In  the  first  j)lace,  we  have  the  doctrine  of  an  ethereal 
state,  which  may  or  may  not  be  eternal ; 

Secondly,  we  have  the  doctrine  of  a  bodily  existence, 
which  may  or  may  not  be  eternal ;  and — 

In  the  third  place,  we  have  the  doctrine  that  a  future 
state  is  inconceivable  or  impossible. 

2T.  The  first  of  these  beliefs  was  probably  held  by  a 
portion  of  the  Egyptians,  Greeks,  and  Romans,  and  by 
most  of  the  Jews.  It  was  likewise  held  by  many  among 
the  Eastern  nations.     It  formed  indeed  one  of  the  two 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  21 

ways  of  imagining  a  future  state,  but  it  was  of  a  very 
vague  and  dreary  nature  ;  and  from  the  passage  of  Homer 
already  quoted  (Art.  14),  we  realize  the  longing  supposed 
to  be  felt  by  the  inhabitants  of  such  a  place  to  escape  into 
a  more  substantial  region.  Unquestionably  it  was  not  a 
place  in  which  practical  men  like  the  Jews,  for  instance, 
would  wish  to  dwell,  and  yet  no  doubt  it  had  great  attrac- 
tion for  minds  of  a  visionary  and  ecstatic  nature,  who  held 
matter  to  be  the  source  of  evil. 

The  return  of  the  soul  to  its  divine  original,  an  Egyp- 
tian doctrine,  the  entrance  into  Nirvana,  proclaimed  by 
Buddha,  and  the  absorption  into  Buddha  himself,  pro- 
claimed by  some  of  his  followers,  are  all  proofs  that  a 
doctrine  of  this  nature  has  peculiar  fascinations  for  a 
dreamy  order  of  minds.  Nor  must  we  analyze  too  rigidly 
the  exact  meaning  and  tendency  of  such  doctrines,  inas- 
much as  we  cannot  easily  enter  into  the  real  feelings  of 
those  who  propounded  them,  and  who  probably  'enter- 
tained conceptions  which  cannot  adequately  be  clothed  in 
words. 

^28.  Coming  now^  to  the  belief  of  a  bodily  existence,  it 
is  remarkable  that  the  doctrine  of  a  transmigration  of  souls 
was  extensively  prevalent  among  all  the  nations  we  have 
named,  if  we  except  the  Jews.  It  was  believed  in,  as  we 
have  seen,  by  a  large  class  of  the  Egyptians  ;  it  was  intro- 
duced into  Greece  by  Pythagoras  and  his  followers ;  it  is 
considered  to  have  been  from  time  immemorial  a  common 
property  of  the  various  religions  of  the  extreme  East ;  and 
it  is  recorded  by  Csesar  that  the  Druids  believed  in  the 
same  doctrine,  although  they  confined  the  transmigration 
to  human  bodies. 

It  will  perhaps  surprise  many  of  our  readers  to  learn 
the  extensive  prevalence  of  such  a  doctrine,  wondering  as 
they  must  how  it  is  possible  to  attach  certainty  to  an  exist- 
ence which  passes  through  the  body  of  various  men  and 


22  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

animals — something  perhaps  like  a  draught  of  Lethe  being 
administered  at  the  moment  of  passage.  But  the  ancients, 
being  unable  to  rise  to  a  higher  conception  of  a  bodily 
future,  were  compelled  either  to  admit  this  doctrine  or  one 
yet  more  absurd,  namely,  that  the  very  same  hody  which 
was  laid  in  the  tomb  will  once  more  be  animated  by  the 
spirit  which  formerly  possessed  it.  It  does  not  therefore 
surprise  us  that  the  ancients,  with  the  exception  probably 
of  a  portion  of  Egypt,  and  some  of  the  Jews,  should  have 
preferred  the  doctrine  of  transmigration;  but  we  are 
exceedingly  surprised  that  the  other  alternative  doctrine, 
of  manifestly  Egyptian  parentage,  should  have  come  to  be 
accepted  by  the  modern  nations  of  Europe  under  the  garb 
of  Christianity.  We  shall  return  again  to  this  subject,  but 
meanwhile  let  us  observe  that,  when  men  first  began  to 
ask  the  How  of  a  future  state,  the  reply  was  something 
extremely  vague  and  unsatisfying.  Ko  wonder,  then,  that 
a  class  of  men  who  had  not  unlimited  confidence  in  God, 
and  who  could  not  believe  in  either  of  the  doctrines  of  a 
future  state,  should  have  lapsed  into  philosophical  infi- 
delity and  denied  the  immortality  of  the  soul  altogether. 

29.  We  have  thus  arrived  at  a  stage  of  development  in 
which  we  may  imagine  the  next  step  to  be  one  which  will 
throw  some  light  upon  this  same  question  of  How — that 
will  give,  or  at  any  rate  profess  to  give,  some  information 
regarding  the  conditions  of  a  future  life.  The  intellect  of 
man  had  attempted  to  obtain  such  knowledge  for  itself,  but 
the  result  was  a  conspicuous  failure ;  the  sword  was  not 
sharp  enough,  nor  the  arm  which  wielded  it  powerful 
enough,  to  hew  down  the  thick  and  seemingly  impenetrable 
barrier  which  fringes  the  aveime  to  the  world  of  spirits. 

"  We  cannot  go  to  them,"  was  the  unanimous  wail  of 
the  ancient  philosophers,  till  some  of  the  more  hopeful  of 
them  suggested  as  an  alternative  that  they  might  come  to 
us.     For  clearly,  if  A  and  B  are  separated  from  each  other 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  23 

by  a  barrier,  and  there  yet  remains  good-will  between 
them,  two  courses  are  possible,  and  only  two,  if  they  are 
to  be  made  acquainted  with  each  other.  If  A  is  so  weak 
as  to  be  unable  to  overleap  the  barrier,  and  if  at  the  same 
time  it  would  be  a  matter  of  importance  to  him  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  B,  then  B  may  be  expected  to  sur- 
mount the  barrier  if  it  be  surmountable,  and  exhibit  him- 
self to  A. 

30.  As  a  matter  of  history,  it  appears  that  about  the 
time  of  the  birth  of  Christ  there  was  an  expectation,  how- 
ever vague,  that  something  of  this  nature  was  about  to 
take  place.  And  when  Christ  made  his  appearance,  and 
gathered  round  him  a  little  band  of  disciples,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  he  claimed  to  be  the  bearer  of  intelligence 
from  the  world  of  spirits.  Those  who  differ  from  one 
another  as  to  the  light  in  which  they  regard  his  person  and 
doctrine  will  yet,  we  think,  agree  in  this.  The  claim 
made  by  his  disciples  for  his  gospel  was  that  it  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light  {see  Whately's  Essays),  and 
the  grounds  of  the  claim  were  built  upon  the  belief  that 
Christ  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and  showed  himself  after 
his  resurrection  to  a  body  of  men  who  had  not  previously 
believed  that  the  Messiah  himself  was  to  die  and  rise 
again. 

His  disciples,  in  fine,  took  his  resurrection  for  a  proof 
that  life  is  possible  after  death.  Christ  was  believed  to  be 
the  first-fruits  of  a  system  that  was  destined  ultimately  to 
embrace  in  the  same  glorious  immortality  all  those  of  his 
disciples  who  were  united  to  their  Master  by  a  sincere  and 
living  faith.  Evidently  Paul  attached  much  importance  to 
the  fact  of  Christ's  resurrection,  for  he  says  (1  Cor.  xv.  14) : 
"  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  our  preaching  vain,  and 
your  faith  is  also  vain.  Yea,  and  we  are  found  false  wit- 
nesses of  God :  because  we  have  testified  of  God  that  he 
raised  up  Christ ;  whom  he  raised  not  up,  if  so  be  that 


24  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

the  dead  rise  not.  For  if  the  dead  rise  not,  then  is  not 
Christ  raised :  and  if  Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is 
vain ;  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins." 

31.  Let  us  now  try  to  ascertain  what  sort  of  future 
state  was  taught  by  Christ.  In  the  first  place,  it  w^as  a 
bodily  state — a  state  which  could  even  adapt  itself  with 
some  modification  to  the  views  of  the  Pharisees  who  be- 
lieved in  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  But  the  modifica- 
tion introduced  is  sufficiently  important.  The  occasion  of 
its  announcement  was  a  disputation  with  the  Sadducees, 
who  attempted  to  perplex  Christ  by  stating  to  him  the 
case  of  a  w^oman  who  had  been  married  in  this  life  to 
seven  brethren  in  succession,  and  then  asking  him  whose 
wife  she  should  be  in  the  resurrection.  We  are  told 
(Matthew  xxii.  29)  that,  in  reply  to  the  question,  "  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the 
scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God.  For  in  the  resurrection 
they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as 
the  angels  of  God  in  heaven."  We  may  gather  by  impli- 
cation from  this  narrative,  that  the  question  would  have 
puzzled  the  Pharisees,  who  had  certainly  not  arrived  at 
this  idea  of  the  resurrection  state. 

They  must  evidently  have  thought  that  the  resuiTec- 
tion  body  was  to  be  similar  to  the  present  one,  and  al- 
though they  believed  in  the  existence  and  occasional  ap- 
pearance of  angels,  they  cannot  have  risen  to  the  idea  that 
it  was  possible  for  man  to  reach  a  similar  state  after  death. 

32.  It  may  perhaps  be  said  that  many  of  Christ's  say- 
ings would  seem  to  lead  toward  the  doctrine  of  a  resur- 
rection of  the  very  same  particles  which  are  laid  in  the 
grave.  To  this,  however,  it  may  be  replied  that  Christ  un- 
doubtedly wished  to  impress  upon  his  hearers,  who  were 
for  the  most  part  unlearned  and  ignorant  men,  the  substan- 
tial and  bodily  reality  of  the  future  state,  and  therefore 
spoke  in  plain  language  without  entering  into  scientific 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  25 

minutise,  which  would  only  have  perplexed  them,  and 
diminished  the  impression  which  his  words  were  other- 
wise calculated  to  produce.  Few  of  his  hearers  would 
trouble  themselves  about  the  mode,  nor  was  it  until  an  ob- 
jection was  started  by  the  learned  Sadducees  that  Christ 
took  occasion  to  develop  his  doctrine.  In  accordance  with 
this  view  we  see  that  a  similar  difficulty  must  have  occurred 
more  than  once  in  the  life  of  Paul,  who  was  brought  into 
contact  with  the  philosophy  of  Greece  and  Rome.  For  in 
one  of  his  Epistles  *  he  asks  the  question :  How  are  the 
dead  raised  up  %  and  with  what  body  do  they  come  %  He 
then  replies  to  the  supposed  objector  in  the  following  noble 
and  beautiful  language  :  ^'  There  is  one  glory  of  the  sun, 
and  another  glory  of  the  moon,  and  another  glory  of  the 
stars ;  for  one  star  differeth  from  another  star  in  glory. 
So  also  is  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ;  it  is  sown  in  cor- 
ruption, it  is  raised  in  incorruption :  it  is  sown  in  dishonor, 
it  is  raised  in  glory :  it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in 
power ;  it  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual 
body.  There  is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual 
body." 

33.  In  the  next  place  we  remark  that  this  conception 
of  a  spiritual  body  similar  to  that  of  the  angels  is  accom- 
panied in  the  religious  system  of  Christ  by  a  conviction 
that  the  present  visible  universe  will  assuredly  pass  away. 
This  is  expressed  in  both  divisions  of  the  writings  acknowl- 
edged as  sacred  by  the  disciples  of  Christ.  Thus  it  is 
said  :  "  Of  old  hast  thou  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth ; 
and  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands.  They  shall 
perish,  but  thou  shalt  endure ;  yea,  all  of  them  shall  wax 
old  like  a  garment :  as  a  vesture  shalt  thou  change  them, 
and  they  shall  be  changed."  ^  Again,  Paul  tells  us  that 
"  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things 
which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  ^     Likewise  also  Peter-- 

»  1  Cor.  XV.  35.  2  Psalm  cii.  25.  « 2  Cor.  iv.  18. 

2 


26  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

says :  "  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the 
night ;  in  the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a 
great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat ; 
the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that  are  therein,  shall  be 
burned  up.  .  .  .  ^N^evertheless  we,  according  to  his  promise, 
look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness."  *  In  like  manner  John  tells  us  that  he  saw 
in  a  vision  "a  great  white  throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it, 
from  whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heaven  fled  away  ;  and 
there  was  found  no  place  for  them." " 

From  all  this  we  may  conclude  that  the  more  advanced 
disciples  of  Christ  supposed  the  resurrection  body  to  be 
angelic  in  its  nature,  and  similar  to  that  which  they  be- 
lieved Christ  had  himself  assumed ;  and  further,  that  they 
supposed  this  body  would  remain  when  the  present  visible 
universe  had  passed  away. 

34.  We  have  already  remarked  that  it  was  the  object 
of  Christ  to  bring  the  future  state  in  a  very  vivid  manner 
before  his  disciples,  so  that  they  might  realize  its  substan- 
tial existence,  and  he  has  accordingly  given  them  on  the 
one  hand  exalted  descriptions  of  the  joys  of  heaven,  and 
on  the  other  awful  accounts  of  the  place  of  torment. 
Heaven  was  variously  described  as  a  banqueting-house,  as 
a  beautiful  city,  as  Abraham's  bosom,  and,  when  speaking 
to  his  immediate  disciples,  as  a  place  where  they  shall 
dwell  together  with  their  Master.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
is  believed  that  Christ's  description  of  hell  was  borrowed 
from  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  a  place  near  Jerusalem,  which 
formed  the  receptacle  for  every  species  of  fllth,  the  com- 
bustible parts  of  which  were  consumed  by  fire.  Putrefac- 
tion, or  the  worm,  was  always  busy  there,  and  the  fire  was 
always  burning,  and  this  may  have  given  rise  to  the  ex- 
pression, "Where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is 
not  quenched."     There  can  be  no  doubt,  we  think,  that 

'  2  Peter  iii.  10.  2  Rev.  xx.  11. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  27 

such  descriptions  were  meant  to  be  allegorical,  the  inten- 
tion being  by  forcible  earthly  images  to  convey  an  idea  of 
what  could  not  otherwise  be  conveyed. 

35.  It  is  well  known  that  many  varieties  of  opinion 
have  been  entertained  regarding  the  person  of  Christ  even 
by  those  who  profess  to  be  his  disciples.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, here  our  object  to  enter  into  theological  controversies ; 
our  treatment  of  this  subject  is  at  present  historical,  and 
we  will  therefore  bring  before  our  readers  the  views  held 
by  the  large  majority  of  those  who  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians regarding  the  person  of  Christ  and  the  constitution 
of  the  invisible  world. 

While  all  the  Christian  Churches  believe  in  one  God, 
yet  by  most  of  them  the  Godhead  is  believed  to  consist  of 
three  persons,  the  Fatlier,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  hrst  of  these  appears  to  be  regarded  as  the  Being  or 
Essence  in  virtue  of  whom  the  universe  exists.  Thus  in 
reciting  the  Apostles'  Creed  the  Christian  disciple  says : 
"  I  believe  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  maker  of  heaven 
and  earth ; "  and  the  laws  of  the  universe  are  regarded  by 
Christian  theologians  as  being  expressions  of  the  will  act- 
ing in  conformity  with  the  character  of  this  being.  Thus 
Nature  (according  to  Whately)  is  the  course  in  which  the 
Author  and  Governor  of  all  things  proceeds  in  his  works. 

But,  in  addition  to  this,  the  majority  of  Christian 
Churches  virtually  assert  that  we  have,  besides  man  and  an 
invisible  hierarchy  of  angels,  two  Divine  Persons,  who 
work  through  and  by  the  universe.  One  great  object  of 
the  second  Person  of  the  Trinity  is  held  to  be  the  manifes- 
tation of  God  to  man,  and  possibly  to  other  beings,  in  a 
manner  and  to  an  extent  which  could  not  be  accomplished 
by  finite  intelligences.  One  great  object  of  the  third  Per- 
son again  is  to  enter,  as  Lord  and  giver  of  life,  into  the 
souls  of  men,  and  possibly  of  other  beings,  and  to  dwell 
there  in  such  a  manner  as  to  fit  them  for  the  position  which 


28  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

they  are  destined  ultimately  to  occupy  in  the  universe  of 
God. 

36.  In  Christ  it  is  supposed  that  we  have  an  incarnation 
of  the  second  Person  of  the  Trinity,  and  the  work  which 
he  accomplished  is  regarded  as  done  not  in  violation  of  the 
order  of  things  as  established  by  God  the  Father,  but 
rather  in  strict  obedience  to  it.  But  while  this  is  generally 
accepted  by  the  Church  of  Christ,  yet  the  docti'ine  of  the 
submission  of  Christ  to  law  has  been  held  by  some  as  not 
inconsistent  with  a  view  which  regards  the  miraculous 
works  of  Christ  as  manifestations  of  his  divine  nature, 
so  changing  the  order  of  things  as  to  denote  something 
wrought  upon  the  universe  rather  than  something  wrought 
through  it  and  by  its  means.  We  do  not  think  that  this 
theory  is  borne  out  by  the  words  of  Christ  himself.  He 
says :  "  I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father 
who  sent  me."  *  Again,  we  are  told  by  Paul,  that  "  when 
the  fullness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son, 
made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them 
that  were  under  the  law,  that  they  might  receive  the  adop- 
tion of  sons." ' 

Christ  also  frequently  represents  his  works  as  wrought 
by  the  Father,  as  for  instance  when  he  says :  "  I  do 
nothing  of  myself ;  but  as  the  Father  hath  taught  me,  1 
speak  tliese  things."  '  In  fine,  the  whole  genius  of  Chris- 
tianity would  point  toward  a  total  submission  of  Christ  in 
every  respect  toward  all  the  laws  of  the  universe,  which, 
indeed,  form  but  another  expression  for  the  will  of  God 
acting  in  conformity  with  his  character.  To  make  our 
meaning  clear,  we  may  say  that  the  will  of  man  is  accom- 
plished in  conformity  with  the  laws  of  the  universe,  while 
on  the  other  hand  the  will  of  God,  as  above  defined,  con- 
stitutes in  itself  the  laws  of  the  universe.  ]S"ow  it  appears 
to  us  from  what  we  find  recorded  in  the  records  of  the 

*  John  V.  30.  ^  Galatiaiis  iv.  4.  ^  Jolm  viii.  28. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  29 

Christian  religion,  that  Christ  must  in  this  sense  be  regarded 
as  similar  to  man ;  but,  inasmuch  as  the  relation  of  Christ  to 
the  universe  was  different  from  that  of  any  mere  man,  so 
the  works  of  Christ  are  to  be  regarded  as  different  from 
those  which  any  mere  man  can  accomplish. 

37.  The  Christian  system,  of  which  we  have  now  briefly 
described  the  peculiarities,  was  soon  called  upon  to  do  bat- 
tle, on  the  one  hand  with  the  ancient  philosophers  of  Greece 
and  Eome,  and  on  the  other  with  the  less  civilized  races  of 
man,  including  those  which  were  destined  ultimately  to 
overpower  the  Roman  Empire.  But  it  was  chiefly  when 
the  apostolic  pioneers  came  into  contact  with  the  acute 
minds  of  the  ancient  philosophers  that  we  have  light  struck 
regarding  what  may  be  termed  the  philosophical  system  of 
Christianity ;  thus  we  have  already  remarked  (Art.  32)  that 
the  nature  of  the  glorified  body  is  most  clearly  given  us  by 
the  Apostle  Paul.  As  respects  the  more  barbarous  nations 
which  afterward  embraced  Christianity,  they  were  not 
likely  to  puzzle  themselves  about  the  physical  possibilities 
of  a  future  state,  nor  even  to  contest  the  physical  reality  of 
a  place  of  eternal  torment.  And  so  it  happened  that,  when 
dealing  with  a  low^er  class  of  converts,  the  Christian  reli- 
gion appealed  more  to  their  fears  than  to  their  hopes,  bring- 
ing vividly  before  them  the  awful  nature  of  hell ;  while  on 
the  other  hand,  the  higher  class  of  converts,  if  they  had  not 
a  very  clear  idea  of  heaven,  were  yet  drawn  with  intense 
longing  to  a  future  w^hich  they  were  to  spend  in  the  com- 
pany of  Christ. 

38.  In  the  course  of  a  few  hundred  years  we  find  the 
whole  Roman  Empire  converted  to  Christianity,  while,  how- 
ever, in  Arabia  and  the  East  it  appears  either  to  have  made 
very  little  progress,  or  to  have  become  corrupted  into  some- 
thing very  different  from  that  which  we  read  of  in  the  E'ew 
Testament.  It  had  not  become  the  national  religion  of  the 
Arabs;  and  we  can  well  imagine  that  this  nation,  with 


30  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

their  pretensions  to  be  regarded  as  the  most  ancient  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Semitic  race,  would  not  look  kindly  upon 
a  religion  that  took  its  origin  in  a  rival  branch  of  the  same 
family.  We  can  further  imagine  that,  with  such  a  feeling, 
they  would  be  very  ready  to  welcome  a  religious  system 
that  should  spring  up  among  themselves.  Such  an  oppor- 
tunity was  afforded  them  by  Mohammed.  Acknowledging 
in  some  measure  the  claims  of  Moses  and  Christ,  Moham- 
med yet  claimed  for  himself  and  his  religion  a  superiority 
over  his  rivals,  flattering  by  this  means  the  vanity  of  his 
own  countrymen,  who  considered  themselves  the  elder 
branch  of  the  Semitic  race.  The  heaven  that  was  prom- 
ised by  Mohammed  was  altogether  of  a  sensuous  character, 
and  well  calculated  to  strike  the  imagination  of  his  disciples. 
He  succeeded  equally  well  in  describing  hell  as  a  place  of 
torment  reserved  for  those  who  did  not  believe  in  his  reli- 
gion. He  further  commissioned  his  followers  to  propagate 
his  tenets  by  the  sword,  so  that  men  became  converts  from 
dread  of  earthly  punishment,  and  were  retained  in  his 
ranks  by  the  success  which  attended  his  arms,  and  by  the 
promise  of  a  paradise  that  was  full  of  earthly  delights,  as 
well  as  by  the  threat  of  a  hell  which  was  reserved  for  un- 
believers. We  could  not  possibly  have  a  better  or  more 
graphic  description  of  such  a  system  than  that  which  is 
given  us  by  Byron  : 

"But  him  the  maids  of  paradise 
Impatient  to  their  halls  invite, 
And  the  dark  heaven  of  houris'  eyes 
On  him  shall  shine  forever  bright; 
They  come — their  kerchiefs  green  they  wave, 
And  welcome  with  a  kiss  the  brave ! 
"Who  falls  in  battle  'gainst  the  Giaour 
Is  worthiest  an  immortal  bower. 
But  thou,  false  infidel !  shalt  writhe 
Beneath  avenging  Monkir's  scythe ; 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  31 

And  from  its  torment  'scape  alone 
To  wander  round  lost  Eblis'  throne, 
And  fire  unquenched,  unquenchable, 
Around,  within,  thy  heart  shall  dwell ; 
Nor  ear  can  hear  nor  tongue  can  tell 
The  tortures  of  that  inward  hell!  " 

The  disciples  of  Mohammed  believed  in  the  unity  of  God, 
but  it  is  evident  that  they  had  not  a  very  exalted  concep- 
tion of  his  character.  Their  trust  in  him  could  infuse  zeal 
into  their  hearts  and  vigor  into  their  arms  when  they  went 
to  make  proselytes  by  the  sword,  but  could  not  produce 
that  lofty  type  of  character  which  has  so  frequently  ap- 
peared among  the  followers  of  Christ. 

39.  We  have  now  reached  in  the  history  of  our  prob- 
lem the  period  known  as  the  dark  ages,  during  which 
the  spirit  of  scientific  inquiry  was  wellnigh  extinct.  At 
length,  however,  there  arrived  a  time  when  the  human 
mind,  from  a  variety  of  causes,  suddenly  awoke  from  the 
lethargy  into  which  it  had  sunk. 

When  scientific  thought  was  once  more  directed  to  the 
subject  of  immortality,  it  was  easily  seen  that  the  doctrine 
of  the  resurrection  in  its  vulgar  acceptation  could  not  pos- 
sibly be  true,  since  a  case  might  be  imagined  in  which 
there  might  even  be  a  contention  between  rival  claimants 
for  the  same  body.  We  might,  for  instance,  imagine  a 
Christian  missionary  to  be  killed  and  eaten  by  a  savage, 
who  was  afterward  killed  himself.  It  is  indeed  both  curi- 
ous and  instructive  to  note  the  reluctance  with  which  vari- 
ous sections  of  the  Christian  Church  have  been  driven 
from  their  old  conceptions,  and  the  expedients,  always 
grotesque,  and  sometimes  positively  loathsome,  with  which 
they  have  attempted  to  buttress  up  the  falling  edifice. 
Some  deem  it  necessary  that  a  single  material  ^<srccs.  or  or- 
ganized particle  of  the  body  at  death  should  survive  until 
the  resurrection,  forgetting  that  under  such  an  hypothesis 


32  TEE  UNSEEN   UNIVERSE. 

it  would  be  easy  to  deprive  a  man  of  the  somewhat  doubt 
ful  benefits  of  such  a  resurrection,  by  sealing  him  up,  when 
yet  alive,  in  a  strong  iron  coffin,  and  by  appropriate  means 
reducing  the  whole  into  an  inorganic  mass.  Boston,  again, 
in  his  "  Fourfold  State,"  goes  still  further — adopting  the 
idea  that  a  single  particle  of  insensible  perspiration  which 
has  escaped  from  us  during  life  will  be  sufficient  to  serve 
as  a  nucleus  for  the  resurrection  body.  So  that,  according 
to  the  disciples  of  this  school,  the  resurrection  will  be  pre- 
ceded by  a  gigantic  manufacture  of  shoddy,  the  effete  and 
loathsome  rags  of  what  was  once  the  body  being  worked 
up  along  with  a  large  quantity  of  new  material  into  a  glo- 
rious and  immortal  garment,  to  form  the  clothing  of  a 
being  that  will  live  forever !  Unquestionably  we  have 
continuity  in  this  hypothesis,  but  it  is  the  continuity  of  the 
Irishman's  coat  in  the  story,  the  owner  of  which  always 
made  a  point  of  retaining  as  many  as  possible  of  the  rags 
that  were  present  on  the  last  occasion,  those  only  which 
had  absolutely  fallen  to  pieces  being  replaced  by  something 
new !  We  have  only  to  compare  this  hideous  and  gro- 
tesque conception  with  the  noble  and  beautiful  language 
of  Paul,  to  recognize  the  depth  of  abasement  into  which 
the  Church  had  sunk  through  the  materialistic  conceptions 
of  the  dark  ages. 

40.  But  it  is  needless  to  say  that  this  very  liberal  offer 
of  a  certain  class  of  theologians  to  surrender  every  thing 
except  a  single  shred  of  the  worn-out  body  was  neverthe- 
less rejected  by  the  school  of  scientific  men.  Death,  they 
replied,  must  be  regarded  as  a  total  and  complete  destruc- 
tion of  the  visible  body,  as  far  at  least  as  the  individual 
life  is  concerned.  At  the  same  time,  professing  them- 
selves unable  to  conceive  such  an  existence  as  a  disembod-. 
ied  spirit,  they  were  forced  to  conclude,  like  Priestley,^ 
that  the  soul  in  its  nature  is  not  immortal.     At  this  point, 

*  8ee  Prof.  Huxley's  Birmingham  Lecture. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  33 

however,  the  scientific  school  splits  up  into  two  or  even 
three  sections,  one  believing  with  Priestley  and  others 
that  immortality  is  a  fresh  and  miraculous  gift  conferred 
upon  man  at  the  resurrection  ;  another,  unable  to  conceive 
the  possibility  of  a  miracle  in  the  case  of  each  individual, 
denying  a  future  state  altogether;  while  a  third  section 
maintains  that  there  is  no  use  in  discussing  the  subject,  be- 
cause man  after  death  has  passed  beyond  the  sphere  of 
human  inquiry. 

41.  Regarding  the  existence  and  nature  of  the  Deity, 
various  opinions  have  been  entertained  by  the  disciples  of 
what  we  may  term  the  extreme  school  of  science.  Some 
have  maintained  that  we  have  no  evidence  of  the  existence 
of  any  such  being,  others  that  we  have  no  evidence  of  his 
personality,  while  others  argue  that,  although  we  may  be- 
come convinced  of  his  great  power  and  wisdom  from  the 
works  of  creation,  there  are  other  attributes  of  his  charac- 
ter which  are  not  so  revealed.  We  cannot,  for  instance, 
say  they,  maintain  the  benevolence  of  the  Deity  in  the  way 
in  which  we  understand  the  word  benevolence,  nor  have 
we  any  evidence  that  he  is  just  in  the  way  in  which  we  un- 
derstand the  word  justice.  It  is  well  known  that  the  late 
John  Stuart  Mill  would  have  regarded  the  claims  of  Chris- 
tianity with  more  favor  had  its  character  been  more  Mani- 
chsean,  that  is  to  say,  had  the  spirit  of  evil  been  allowed  a 
position  more  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  spirit  of  good 
in  the  government  of  the  universe. 

42.  Let  us  here  pause  to  indicate  two  points  of  similar- 
ity bet\v^een  the  scientific  school  and  the  system  of  Chris- 
tianity. Both,  we  conceive,  maintain  in  some  sense  the 
supremacy  of  law  or  the  invariability  of  the  procedure 
adopted  by  the  Deity  in  the  government  of  the  universe 
(Art.  36) ;  both  maintain,  likewise,  that  the  outer  works  of 
the  visible  universe  are  insufficient  to  manifest  certain  at- 
tributes of  the  Deity.     Here,  however,  the  likeness  ends ; 


34  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

the  scientific  school  conceive  thej  have  no  information 
beyond  the  visible  universe,  while  the  Christian  system 
asserts  the  existence  of  an  invisible  order  of  things,  and 
the  fact  of  communications  having  taken  place  between 
the  two  for  the  purpose  of  revealing  God  to  man,  and  of 
raising  man  toward  God. 

43.  Leaving  now  the  views  of  those  who  may  be  said 
to  constitute  the  extreme  left,  let  us  shortly  consider  the 
various  opinions  held  regarding  a  future  state  by  those 
who  yet  rank  themselves  within  the  pale  of  Christianity. 
Not  a  few  who  revere  the  sacred  writings  believe,  never- 
theless, that  tlie  descriptions  of  the  unseen  world  con- 
tained therein  are  purely  allegorical. 

They  do  not  believe  in  the  existence  of  evil  spirits  ex- 
ercising an  influence  over  the  mind  of  man.  Satan i  is 
regarded  as  a  personification  of  evil  (-Jta/36X,o9,  the  accu- 
ser, devil's  advocate)  rather  than  as  possessing  a  real  objec- 
tive existence.  Having  thus  got  rid  of  the  worst  half  of 
the  unseen  world,  the  other  half  follows  in  due  course. 
They  do  not  believe  in  the  unseen  presence  of  angels 
(MyyeXo?,  messenger)  ;  and  in  fine  they  conceive  there  is 
nothing  above  man  but  the  Deity,  who  always  acts  accord- 
ing to  rigid  law.  It  is  a  step  from  this  to  believe  in  the 
futility  of  prayer,  which  is  looked  upon  as  devoid  of  any 
objective  influence,  although  the  practice  of  it  may  be 
regarded  as  possessing  a  beneficial  subjective  effect.  A 
future  life  is  believed  to  be  conceivable,  but  only  under 
conditions  and  in  a  universe  about  which  we  know  noth- 
ing. At  this  point,  however,  the  views  of  what  may  be 
called  the  left  centre  come  into  contact  with  those  of  the 
extreme  left. 

44.  But  there  are  others  quite  disposed  to  believe  in 
the  existence  of  the  unseen  world,  who  yet  regard  as  figu- 
rative a  large  part  of  the  Biblical  descriptions.  Some,  like 
the  Church  of  Rome,  consider  the  separation  of  the  souls 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH,  35 

of  men  after  death  into  two  categories,  and  only  two,  as 
insufficient  and  unsupported  by  the  spirit  of  Scripture; 
while  others  cannot  imagine  the  eternity  of  punishment, 
but  believe  that  the  most  reprobate  will  ultimately  be 
brought  back  and  elevated  into  the  regions  of  bliss. 

Others  again,  arguing  from  some  expressions  in  the 
Bible,  regard  immortality  as  a  boon  reserved  only  for  the 
good,  believing  that  the  wicked  will  be  destroyed,  both 
soul  and  body,  in  hell.  No  doubt  by  an  energetic  nature 
such  a  fate  would  be  regarded  as  even  worse  than  endless 
punishment : 

.  .  .  .  "  Sad  cure !  for  who  would  lose, 
Though  full  of  pain,  this  intc41ectual  being? 
Those  thoughts  that  wander  through  eternity 
To  perish  rather,  swallowed  up  and  lost 
In  the  wide  womb  of  uncreated  night, 
Devoid  of  sense  and  motion." 

So  speaks  Milton,  putting  the  idea  into  the  mouth  of  Be- 
lial, the  fallen  spirit,  when  addressing  his  peers. 

45.  These  are  a  few  of  the  ways  in  which  the  state- 
ments of  Christ  and  his  Apostles  regarding  immortality 
have  been  interpreted  by  those  who  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians. But  amid  this  great  diversity  there  is  yet  one  prin- 
ciple common  to  all.  It  is  imagined  that  something  pecul- 
iar in  the  history  of  the  world  took  place  at  the  coming  of 
Christ,  which  has  not  since  been  repeated.  Communica- 
tions were  then  made  to  mankind  which  are  regarded  as 
unique,  and  the  truth  of  which  it  is  held  will  only  be  veri- 
fied in  the  case  of  each  individual  when  he  has  passed  into 
that  country  from  which  we  receive  no  travelers'  tales. 

ISTotwithstanding  this  general  belief,  not  a  few  have 
arisen  pretending  to  have  received  a  new  and  supplement- 
ttry  revelation.  In  most  of  these  cases  the  scientific  his- 
torian may  at  once  come  to  a  conclusion  without  any  vio- 
lation of  his  impartiality — they  are  so  manifestly  the  prod- 


36  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

ucts  of  delusion  if  not  of  imposture.  There  is,  however, 
one  system  which  merits  fuller  treatment,  inasmuch  as  it 
has  led  to  a  mode  of  viewing  the  spiritual  world  which  has 
many  followers  at  the  present  day. 

46.  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  the  apostle  of  this  system, 
was '  in  many  respects  a  remarkable  man.  Living  more 
than  a  century  ago,  and  during  the  time  when  Science  was 
pausing  for  the  spring  she  has  since  made,  he  seems  to 
have  foreshadowed,  if  he  did  not  anticipate,  many  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  present  day.  We  are  not,  however,  now 
concerned  with  his  purely  physical  speculations. 

Swedenborg  has  written  at  great  length  regarding  the  na- 
ture and  destiny  of  man,  and  the  constitution  of  the  unseen 
world  into  which  he  asserts  he  had  the  power  of  entering. 

He  assumes  the  existence  of  a  human  or  semi-human 
race  before  Adam,  of  which  he  remarks  that  they  lived  as 
beasts.  v"Man,"  he  tells  us,  "considered  in  himself,  is 
nothing  but  a  beasL)  .  .  .  Man's  peculiaritv  over  animals 
— a  peculiarity  they  neither  have  nor  can  have — consists  in 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  in  his  will  and  understanding. 
It  is  in  consequence  of  this  conjunctirm  with  the  Lord  that 
man  lives  after  death ;  and,  although  he  should  exist  like 
a  beast,  caring  for  nothing  but  himself  and  his  relations, 
yet  the  Lord's  mercy  is  so  great,  being  Divine  and  Infinite,- 
that  he  never  leaves  him,  but  continually  breathes  into  him 
his,  own  life,  whereby  he  is  enabled  to  recognize  what  is 
good  and  evil  and  true  and  false." 

Regarding  man's  mortal  nature,  we  are  told  by  Swe- 
denborg that  "  man  at  birth  puts  on  the  grosser  substances 
of  nature,  his  body  consisting  of  such.  These  grosser  sub- 
stances by  death  he  puts  off,  but  retains  the  purer  sub- 
stances of  nature,  which  are  next  to  those  that  are  spiritual. 
These  purer  substances  serve  thereafter  as  his  body,  the 
continent  and  expression  of  his  mind."  ' 

*  "  Life  and  Writings  of  Swedenborg,"  by  William  White. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH.  37 

I    .  "A  man  at  death,"  he  tells  us  again,  "  escapes  from  his 

material  body  as  from  a  rent  or  worn-out  vesture,  carrying 
with  him  every  member,  faculty,  and  function  complete, 
with  not  one  wanting,  yet  the  corpse  is  as  heavy  as  when 
he  dwelt  therein." 

Regarding  the  spiritual  world,  he  tells  us  that  "  the 
whole  natural  world  corresponds  to  the  spiritual  world  col- 
lectively and  in  every  part ;  for  the  natural  world  exists 
and  subsists  from  the  spiritual  world,  just  as  an  effect  does 
from  its  cause."  He  also  tells  us  that  "  if  in  the  spiritual 
world  two  desire  intensely  to  see  each  other,  that  desire  at 
once  brings  about  a  meeting.  When  any  angel  goes  from 
one  place  to  another,  whether  it  is  in  his  own  city,  or  in 
the  courts,  or  the  gardens,  or  to  others  out  of  his  own 
city,  he  arrives  sooner  or  later,  just  as  he  is  ardent  or  in- 
different, the  way  itself  being  shortened  or  lengthened  in 
proportion.  .  .  .  Change  of  place  being  only  change  of 
state,  it  is  evident  that  approximations  in  the  spiritual  • 
world  arise  from  similitudes  of  mind  and  removals  from 
dissimilitudes ;  and  thus  spaces  are  merely  signs  of  inner 
differences.  .  .  .  From  that  cause  alone  the  hells  are  alto- 
gether separated  from  the  heavens." 

Of  God  he  says :    "  The  Divine  is  incomprehensible  ^ 
even  by  the  angels,  for  there  is  no  ratio  between  the  finite 
and  the  infinite. 
r      "  Ko  man  or  angel  can  ever  approach  the  Father  and  ) 
I  immediately  worship  him;  for  he  is  invisible,  and  bein^ 
\  invisible  can  neither  be  thought  of  nor  loved." 

Of  God's  providence  he  says :  "  As  in  the  Lord  we  are 
and  act,  his  providence  is  over  us  from  birth  to  death,  and 
even  to  eternity.  .  .  .  To  talk  of  the  Lord's  providence  as 
universal,  and  to  separate  it  from  particulars,  is  like  talking 
of  a  whole  in  which  there  are  no  parts,  or  of  something  in 
which  there  is  nothing.  Consequently  it  is  most  false,  a 
mere  picture  of  the  imagination,  and  downright  stupidity, 


38  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

to  say  that  the  Lord's  providence  is  universal,  and  not  at 
the  same  time  in  the  minutest  particulars  ;  for  to  provide 
and  rule  in  the  universal,  and  not  at  the  same  time  in  the 
minutest  particulars,  is  not  to  rule  at  all." 

Swedenborg  likewise  believed  in  an  intermediate  state 
analogous  to  purgatory,  although  he  objected  to  the  name. 
This  was  called  by  him  the  world  of  spirits,  after  staying 
in  which,  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  the  souls  of  the  de- 
parted were  drafted  off  to  heaven  on  the  one  side,  and  to 
hell  on  the  other. 

47.  We  have  now  said  enough  to  give  our  readers  some 
idea  of  Swedenborg's  spiritual  system.  Unquestionably  it 
is  the  system  of  a  profound  thinker,  and  many  great  men 
have  not  hesitated  to  express  their  admiration  of  Sweden- 
borg and  his  works.  It  is  one  thing,  however,  to  admit 
the  beauty,  the  philosophical  completeness,  and  even  the 
possible  truth  of  many  of  his  statements,  and  another 
thing  to  believe  that  he  actually  conversed  with  the  inhab- 
itants of  another  world  in  the  way  in  which  one  man  con- 
verses with  another. 

But,  after  all,  suppose  that  the  every-day  experience  of 
men  is  that  only  he  who  lives  in  the  world  as  not  of  the 
world  lives  a  true  life,  and  this  is  the  Bible  teaching — 
whose,  then,  is  the  true  doctrine  ?  Swedenborg  errs  if  he 
claims  this  as  his  exolusive  personal  experience.  Paul 
claimed  it  as  belonging  to  all  men.  Surely  men  of  science 
should  of  all  men  claim  this  likewise. 

Now,  when  a  man  unquestionably  honest  makes  an  as- 
sertion such  as  Swedenborg  made,  there  are  only  two  pos- 
sible conclusions  to  which  we  can  come,  unless  we  choose 
to  remain  in  a  state  of  mental  suspense.  We  must  either 
believe  that  he  really  saw  what  he  professes  to  have  seen, 
or  that  he  was  the  victim  of  some  strange  hallucination, 
in  virtue  of  which  his  subjective  impressions  became  trans- 
ferred into  the  realms  of  obiective  realities.     We  know 


INTRODUCTOEY  SKETCH.  89 

very  well  that  the  human  mind  is  extremely  prone  to  such 
delusions,  and  that  the  nature  of  the  case  is  frequently  be- 
trayed by  some  indiscreet  admission  that  we  have  external 
grounds  for  believing  to  be  incorrect.  Had  Swedenborg 
conlined  himself  to  the  invisible  world  it  would  have  been 
very  difficult  to  prove  him  the  subject  of  a  delusion,  but 
when  he  visits  the  planets,  and  describes  their  inhabitants, 
he  enters  at  once  upon  dangerous  ground. 

Concerning  his  description  of  the  various  planets  it  has 
been  remarked  that  his  visits  were  only  paid  to  those  the 
existence  of  which  was  known  when  he  wrote,  Uranus  and 
Neptune  being  passed  over.  This  of  itself  is  a  suspicious 
circumstance.  Again,  he  peoples  the  planets  Jupiter  and 
Saturn  with  inhabitants  as  well  as  our  own  moon ;  now, 
scientiiic  analogy  is  strongly  against  either  of  these  two 
planets  being  inhabited,  while  it  is  next  to  certain  that  our 
moon  is  entirely  without  inhabitants. 

In  line,  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  specula- 
tions of  Swedenborg  were  any  thing  else  than  the  product 
of  his  own  mind,  in  the  same  sense  in  which  the  specula- 
tions of  this  volume  may  be  regarded  as  the  product  of  the 
minds  of  its  authors. 

48.  Before  concluding  this  historical  sketch  let  us  say 
a  few  words  about  modern  spiritualists  in  as  far  as  their 
pretensions  have  reference  to  our  subject.  They  assert 
the  presence  among  them  of  the  spirits  of  the  departed, 
assuming  sometimes  a  visible  shape,  and  they  compare 
these  appearances  to  those  which  are  recorded  in  the  Sa- 
cred Writings.  But  there  is  this  prominent  distinction  be- 
tween the  two :  the  spiritual  communications  recorded  in 
the  Scriptures  are  represented  as  made  to  those  who  were 
unprepared  to  receive  them,  and  also  for  the  most  part  as 
taking  place  in  open  daylight,  or,  to  speak  more  properly, 
having  no  sort  of  reference  to  light  or  darkness.  What- 
ever be  their  explanation,  they  have  an  open-air  look  about 


40  THE   dNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  manifestations  recorded  by 
the  spiritualists  take  place  as  a  rule  in  insufficient  light,  if 
■  not  in  total  darkness,  and  in  presence  of  those  who  are  in  a 
state  of  mental  excitement. 

Now,  for  our  own  part,  we  should  not  be  disposed  to 
credit  any  communication  from  the  world  of  spirits  that 
was  not  made  in  open  daylight,  and  to  those  unprepared 
to  receive  it,  and  therefore  unprejudiced. 

The  man  of  science  must  be  perfectly  recipient,  but  he 
must,  in  the  interests  of  truth,  guard  himself  against  the 
possibility  of  delusion.  We  know  the  almost  infinite 
power  of  the  mind  not  only  to  delude  itself,  but  to  propa- 
gate its  delusions  to  the  minds  of  others,  and,  as  we  have 
already  remarked,  the  conditions  of  these  manifestations 
are  favorable  to  the  spread  of  such  delusions.  We  do  not 
therefore  hesitate  to  choose  between  the  two  alternative 
explanations,  and  to  regard  these  pretended  manifestations 
as  having  no  objective  reality. 

49.  But  while  we  altogether  deny  the  reality  of  these 
appearances,  we  tliink  it  likely  that  the  spiritualists  have 
enlarged  our  knowledge  of  the  power  that  one  mind  has 
in  influencing  another,  which  is  in  itself  a  valuable  subject 
of  inquiry.  We  agree  too  in  the  position  assumed  by 
Swedenborg,  and  by  the  spiritualists,  according  to  which 
they  look  upon  the  invisible  world  not  as  something  abso- 
lutely distinct  from  the  visible  universe,  and  absolutely 
unconnected  with  it,  as  is  frequently  thought  to  be  the 
case,  but  rather  as  a  universe  that  has  some  bond  of  union 
with  the  present. 

This  line  of  argument  will  be  developed  in  the  follow- 
ing chapters  of  our  book. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

POSITION   TAKEN   BY   THE   AUTHORS PHYSICAL   AXIOMS. 

"  We  have  but  faith  :  we  cannot  know  ; 
For  knowledge  is  of  things  we  see  ; 
And  yet  we  trust  it  comes  from  thee, 
A  beam  in  darkness  :  let  it  grow." — Tennyson. 


50.  In  tlie  preceding  chapter  we  have  given  a  very 
brief  epitome  of  the  various  beliefs  regarding  immortality 
and  the  invisible  world  held  by  the  civilized  nations  of 
the  earth,  from  the  earliest  dawn  of  history  to  the  present 
day.  It  is  now  time  to  say  something  about  the  object  of 
this  book,  as  well  as  to  define  the  position  from  which  we 
mean  to  start  in  pursuance  of  this  object.  We  shall  there- 
fore commence  by  dividing  those  who  concern  themselves 
about  our  theme  into  three  great  classes. 

In  the  first  place,  we  have  those  who  are  so  absolutely 
certain  of  the  truth  of  their  religion,  and  of  the  immor- 
tality which  it  teaches,  that  they  are!  not  qualified  to  enter- 
tain or  even  to  perceive  any  scientific  objection.  They 
acknowledge  that  certain  deductions  made  by  men  of  sci- 
ence appear  to  contradict  the  truth  of  their  religion.  But 
these  they  regard  as  premature  conclusions,  averring  that 
when  the  laws  of  N^ature  have  been  more  deeply  investi- 
gated, there  will  be  found  a  perfect  concord  between  sci- 
ence and  revelation.  Certain  scientific  truths  they  readily 
assent  to,  and  it  is  only  the  altogether  human  superstruct- 


4:2  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

lire  of  speculation  built  upon  these  that  they  profess  to 
question.  "  You  have  built,"  they  say,  "  upon  the  rock 
of  truth  a  structure  of  wood,  hay,  stubble,  and  you  wish 
to  persuade  us  that  it  is  the  very  temple  of  God.  We 
will  not  enter  it,  but  will  patiently  wait  in  the  expectation 
of  seeing  it  speedily  consumed  with  lire." 

JSTow,  whatever  be  the  merits  or  demerits  of  such  men, 
it  is  not  for  them  we  write.  Their  merit  may  consist  in 
having  made  a  perfectly  true  charge  against  certain  classes 
of  scientific  men — their  demerit  probably  in  having  them- 
selves done  for  religion  precisely  the  same  that  they  accuse 
their  adversaries  of  doing  for  scientific  truth.  We  must 
let  them  alone — they  will  not  be  influenced  by  any  thing 
that  we  can  say.  We  may  perhaps  be  praised  if  it  be 
thought  that  we  have  helped  to  overthrow  the  superstruct- 
ure of  their  adversaries ;  we  shall  certainly  be  condemned 
if  it  be  thought  that  we  have  helped  to  weaken  any  portion 
of  that  superstructure  which  they  themselves  have  reared. 

51.  In  the  next  place,  and  occupying  a  middle  position, 
we  have  those  who  see  strong  grounds  for  believing  in  the 
immortality  of  man  and  the  existence  of  an  invisible 
world,  but  who  at  the  same  time  are  forced  to  acknowl- 
edge the  strength  of  the  objections  urged  against  these  doc- 
trines by  certain  men  of  science.  Some  of  this  class  attach 
much  weight  to  the  evidence  in  favor  of  these  doctrines 
derived  from  the  Christian  records ;  others  again,  unable  to 
believe  in  these  records,  are  yet  powerfully  impressed  by 
the  universal  longing  for  immortality  which  civilized  man 
has  always  shown,  while  others  attach  nearly  equal  impor- 
tance to  both  kinds  of  evidence.  Nevertheless,  all  of  the 
class  of  whom  we  now  speak  have  deeply  studied  the  scien- 
tific objections,  and  do  not  well  see  how  to  surmount 
them.  It  is  to  this  class  that  we  shall  especially  address 
ourselves  in  the  following  chapters. 

52.  The  third  class  of  men  are  those  of  the  extreme 


PHT8IGAL  AXIOMS.  43 

materialistic  school.  All  human  history,  including  tlie  life 
of  Christ  and  that  wliich  took  place  in  connection  with  it, 
all  yearnings  of  man  for  immortality,  all  life,  from  that  of 
the  noblest  of  human  beings  to  that  of  the  primordial  ani- 
mated germ,  are  explained  by  this  class  as  the  result  of  the 
interaction  of  material  atoms  guided  by  certain  measurable 
physical  forces.  They  have  no  reason  to  believe  there  is 
any  thing  beyond  the  visible  universe,  and  in  consequence 
they  decline  entering  into  any  argument  upon  the  subject. 
Their  premise  may  be  wrong,  but  their  conclusion  follows 
as  a  matter  of  course.  We  have  examined  (say  they)  all 
the  evidence  in  favor  of  another  universe,  and  find  it  ut- 
terly worthless ;  why  then  should  we  discuss  the  subject  ? — 
it  is  one  of  those  delusions  that  are  common  to  man.  When 
a  traveler  pretends  to  have  received  information  about 
some  strange  and  distant  country,  our  first  step  is  to  in- 
quire whether  he  is  a  trustworthy  and  sane  man,  and  if  we 
find  he  is  otherwise,  it  is  quite  unnecessary  for  us  to  dis- 
cuss either  the  information  which  he  brings,  or  the  objec- 
tions to  that  information.  You  pretend  to  show  the  scien- 
tific possibility  that  this  information  may  be  correct,  but 
why  should  we  study  your  argument  since  there  is  no  evi- 
dence for  supposing  that  there  is  any  such  place  ? 

53.  To  these  men  we  would  reply,  that  even  assuming 
their  own  point  of  view,  our  scheme  will,  we  venture  to 
suggest,  be  found  to  give  a  more  complete  and  continuous 
explanation  of  the  visible  order  of  things  than  one  which 
proceeds  upon  the  assumption  that  there  is  nothing  else.  In 
this  respect  we  may  liken  it  to  the  hypothesis  of  atoms,  or 
that  of  an  ethereal  medium,  for  neither  of  which  we  have 
the  direct  evidence  of  our  senses,  but  which  have  never- 
theless been  adopted  as  affording  the  best  explanations  of 
the  phenomena  of  the  visible  universe. 

54.  Having  thus  classed  our  readers,  they  will  now  be 
anxious  to  learn  our  position.     Let  us  begin  by  stating  at 


44  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

once  that  we  assume,  as  absolutely  self-evident,  the  exist- 
ence of  a  Deity  who  is  the  Creator  of  all  things.  "  AVe 
are  obliged,"  says  Herbert  Spencer  in  his  "  First  Princi- 
ples," "  to  regard  every  phenomenon  as  a  manifestation  of 
some  Power  by  which  we  are  acted  upon ;  though  omni- 
presence is  unthinkable,  yet,  as  experience  discloses  no 
bounds  to  the  diffusion  of  phenomena,  we  are  unable  to 
think  of  limits  to  the  presence  of  this  Power ;  while  the 
criticisms  of  science  teach  us  that  this  Power  is  incompre- 
hensible." "We  further  look  upon  the  laws  of  the  universe 
as  those  laws  according  to  which  the  beings  in  the  universe 
are  conditioned  by  the  Governor  thereof,  as  regards  time, 
place,  and  sensation. 

It  is  for  instance  on  account  of  these  laws  that  we 
cannot  be  present  in  different  places  at  the  same  time  ;  or 
move  over  more  than  a  certain  space  in  a  certain  time ; 
or  think  more  than  a  certain  number  of  thoughts,  or 
feel  more  than  a  certain  number  of  sensations,  in  a  cer- 
tain given  time. 

And  hence  while  we  can  very  easily  imagine  an  intelli- 
gence supei'ior  to  ourselves,  but  yet  finite,  to  be  very  differ- 
ently conditioned,  we  cannot  imagine  any  finite  intelli- 
gence to  be  absolutely  without  conditions.  At  any  rate,  if 
finite  intelligences  unconditioned  with  respect  to  time  and 
space  be  conceivable  existences,  yet  they  are  so  absolutely 
unconnected  with  the  present  universe,  which  has  reference 
to  these  elements,  that  their  existence  need  not  be  contem- 
plated as  far  as  the  present  argument  is  concerned. 

55.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  we  cannot  conceive  of 
purely  finite  intelligences  existing  in  the  universe  without 
some  sort  of  embodiment ;  but  we  now  come  to  a  point 
which  deserves  a  somewhat  fuller '  discussion.  We  can 
imagine  the  materialists  saying  to  us  :  "  You  are  right  in 
asserting  the  inconceivability  of  such  intelligence  as  that 
of  man  existing  without  some  sort  of  embodiment,  or,  to 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  45 

speak  plainly,  without  some  association  witli  matter — that 
is  precisely  the  view  we  om^selves  take."  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  can  very  well  conceive  of  matter  existing 
without  intelligence,  as  for  instance  a  block  of  wood,  or  a 
bar  of  iron. 

Thus  the  connection  between  these  two  things,  matter 
and  mind,  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  mind  cannot  exist  with- 
out matter,  while  matter  can  and  does  exist  without  mind. 

Is  there  not  therefore  a  reality  about  matter  which 
there  is  not  about  mind  ?  Can  we  conceive  a  single  parti- 
cle of  matter  to  go  out  of  the  universe  for  six  or  eight 
hours  and  then  to  return  to  it ;  but  do  we  not  every  day 
see  our  consciousness  disappearing  in  the  case  of  deep 
sleep,  or  in  a  swoon,  and  then  returning  to  us  again  ?  Far 
be  it  from  us  to  deny  that  we  have  something  which  is 
called  consciousness,  and  is  utterly  distinct  from  matter 
and  the  properties  of  matter,  as  these  are  regarded  in 
physics.  But  may  not  the  connection  between  the  two  be 
of  this  nature? — When  a  certain. number  of  material  par- 
ticles, consisting  of  phosphorus,  carbon,  oxygen,  hydrogen, 
nitrogen,  and  perhaps  some  others,  are,  in  consequence  of 
the  operations  of  their  physical  forces,  in  a  certain  position 
with  respect  to  each  other,  and  in  a  certain  state  of  mo- 
tion, consciousness  is  the  result,  but  whenever  this  connec- 
tion is  brought  to  an  end,  there  is  also  an  end  of  conscious- 
ness and  the  sense  of  individual  existence,  while,  however, 
the  particles  of  phosphorus,  carbon,  etc.,  remain  as  truly  as 
ever. 

56.  Kow,  this  means  that  matter  must  be  looked  upon 
as  mistress  of  the  house,  and  consciousness  as  an  occasional 
visitor  whom  she  permits  to  take  of  her  hospitality,  turn- 
ing him  out-of-doors  whenever  the  larder  is  empty.  It  is 
worth  while  to  investigate  the  process  of  thought  which 
gives  rise  to  this  curious  conception  of  the  economy  of  the 
universe. 


46  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

It  is  clear  that  certain  arrangements  are  made  in  the 
universe,  in  virtue  of  which  similar  sensations  are  produced 
simultaneously  in  diUerent  individuals,  while  in  other  ar- 
rangements the  sensations  produced  are  the  peculiar  prop- 
erty of  some  one  individual.  The  one  set  have  come  to 
be  associated  w^ith  objective  realities,  while  the  other  set 
are  concerned  with  subjective  impressions.  I  am  affected 
by  a  pain  in  my  head,  and  I  am  also  affected  by  the  sun, 
but  the  one  affection  is  the  peculiar  product  of  my  brain, 
and  I  carry  it  about  with  me,  while  experience  has  shown 
me  that  I  cannot  appropriate  the  other ;  yet  it  also  becomes 
mine  so  soon  as  it  has  reached  my  brain. 

It  will  further  be  allowed  that  there  are  certain  mate- 
rial particles  which  may  become  vehicles  for  both  of  these 
kinds  of  sensations,  while  there  are  others  that  have  only 
the  power  of  producing  one.  Gold,  silver,  and  platinum, 
are  substances  which  may  become  the  vehicle  of  common 
impressions,  but  not  of  particular  impressions,  since  they 
do  not  occur  in  our  brains.  Phosphorus,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  a  substance  which  may  become  the  vehicle  of 
both  kinds.  When  we  burn  a  piece  of  phosphorus  in  a 
lecture-room  it  is  the  vehicle  of  a  common  impression, 
while  the  phosphorus  in  our  brain  is  the  vehicle  of  a  pe- 
culiar impression.  IS'ow,  there  is  this  difference  between 
portions  of  phosphorus  playing  these  two  parts :  When 
in  the  common  state,  we  can  experiment  upon  it  and 
investigate  its  properties,  but  this  we  cannot  do  when  it 
exists  in  the  brain  in  its  peculiar  state.  The  assertion, 
therefore,  that  phosphorus  and  its  allied  particles,  whose 
motions  and  positions  are  accompanied  by  consciousness, 
are  nevertheless,  when  in  this  state,  essentially  the  same  as 
they  are  in  the  ordinary  state,  appears  to  us  to  be  without 
foundation.  We  cannot  thus  argue  from  the  one  state  to 
the  other.  For  that  most  peculiar  and  interesting  condi- 
tion of  phosphorus  and  other  matter  in  which  it  is  inti- 


PETSIGAL  AXIOMS.  47 

mately  connected  with  the  production  of  consciousness,  and 
where  some  peculiarity  due  to  this  connection  might  per- 
haps be  thought  likely,  is  the  very  thing  we  cannot  investi- 
gate. To  say  therefore  that  the  brain  consists  of  particles 
of  phosphorus,  carbon,  etc.,  such  as  we  know  them  in  the 
common  state,  and  that  when  the  particles  of  the  brain 
have,  in  consequence  of  the  operation  of  physical  forces,  a 
certain  position  and  motion,  then  consciousness  follows,  is 
to  assign  a  peculiar  relation  between  the  brain-particles 
and  consciousness  which  we  are  not  justified  in  doing. 

57.  Allied  to  this  assumption  there  is  another  in  the 
materialistic  argument  as  we  have  stated  it.  If  in  the 
body  there  be  no  other  material  than  the  visible  particles, 
and  in  the  brain  no  other  material  than  a  certain  quantity 
of  phosphorus  and  other  things,  such  as  we  know  them  in 
the  common  state,  and  if  consciousness  depends  upon  the 
structural  presence  of  these  substances  in  the  body  and 
brain,  then  when  this  structure  falls  to  pieces  there  are  of 
course  reasonable  grounds  for  supposing  that  conscious- 
ness has  entirely  ceased.  But  it  is  the  object  of  this  vol- 
ume to  exhibit  various  scientific  reasons  for  believing  that 
there  is  something  beyond  that  which  we  call  the  visible 
universe. 

58.  There  remains  yet  that  part  of  the  argument  which 
hints  that  consciousness  is  less  permanent  than  matter,  in- 
asmuch as  indvidual  consciousness  frequently  departs  from 
the  universe  for  six  or  eight  hours  and  then  returns  to  it 
again.  In  one  sense  this  is  unquestionably  true,  while, 
however,  there  is  a  potential  or  latent  consciousness  or  pos- 
sibility of  consciousness  that  remains  behind.  It  will  be 
seen  in  the  sequel  that  this  fact  of  latent  consciousness  will 
be  used  by  us  to  strengthen  our  argument  in  favor  of  a 
future  state. 

59.  We  may  conclude,  as  the  result  of  this  discussion, 
that  the  connection  between  mind  and  matter  is  a  very  in- 


48  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

timate  one,  although  we  are  in  profound  ignorance  as  to 
its  exact  nature* 

The  intimacj  of  this  connection  is  a  doctrine  ahnost 
universally  held  by  modern  physiologists.  Just  as  no  sin- 
gle action  of  the  body  takes  place  without  the  waste  of 
some  muscular  tissue,  so,  it  is  believed,  no  thought  takes 
place  without  some  waste  of  the  brain.  Nay,  physiologists 
go  even  further,  and  assert  that  each  specific  thought  de- 
notes some  specific  waste  of  brain-tissue,  so  that  there  is 
some  mysterious  and  obscure  connection  between  "the  nature 
of  the  thought  and  the  nature  of  the  waste  which  it  occa- 
sions. In  like  manner  memory  is  looked  upon  as  depend- 
ent upon  traces,  left  behind  in  the  brain,  of  that  state  in 
which  it  was  when  the  sensation  remembered  took  place. 
Thus  Prof.  Huxley  in  his  Belfast  address  (1874)  tells  us : 
"  It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  those  motions  which  give 
rise  to  sensation  leave  on  the  brain  changes  of  its  substance 
which  answer  to  what  Ilaller  called  '  vestigia  Terum^  and 
to  what  that  great  thinker  David  Hartley  termed  '  Yibrati- 
uncules.'  The  sensation  which  has  passed  away  leaves  be- 
hind molecules  of  the  brain  competent  to  its  reproduction — 
*  sensigenous  molecules,'  so  to  speak — which  constitute  the 
physical  foundation  of  memory." 

60.  It  will  be  inferred  from  what  we  have  said  that 
one  of  the  essential  requisites  of  continued  existence  is  the 
capability  of  retaining  some  sort  of  hold  upon  the  past, 
and,  inasmuch  as  we  are  unable  to  contemplate  such  a 
thing  as  a  finite  disembodied  spirit,  it  is  further  evident 
that  this  hold  implies  an  organ  of  some  sort.  This  we  con- 
ceive to  be  a  perfectly  general  proposition.  We  do  not 
limit  ourselves  in  making  it  to  any  particular  arrangement 
of  bodily  form,  or  to  any  particular  rank  of  finite  organized 
intelligence.  From  the  archangel  to  the  brute  we  conceive 
that  something  analogous  to  an  organ  of  memory  must  be 
possessed  by  each. 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  49 

61.  But  if  one  general  requisite  of  life  be  a  connection 
with  the  past,  another  is  the  possibility  of  action  in  the 
present.  A  living  being  must  have  in  his  frame  the  ca- 
pacity of  varied,  movement.  He  must  possess  a  bodily  or- 
ganization in  which  there  is  the  power  of  calling  internal 
forces  into  play  at  irregular  intervals  dependent  on  his  will. 
We  cannot  imagine  life  to  be  associated  with  a  motion- 
less mass  or  with  a  mass  which  moves  in  an  invariable 
manner. 

The  living  being  need  not  always  be  in  motion,  but  he 
must  retain  the  capacity  of  moving.  He  need  not  always 
be  thinking,  but  he  must  retain  the  capacity  of  thought. 

To  sum  up — it  thus  appears  that  there  are  two  general 
conditions  of  organized  life.  There  must  in  the  first  place 
be  an  organ  connecting  the  individual  with  the  past,  and 
in  the  next  place  there  must  be  such  a  frame  and  such  a 
universe  that  he  has  the  power  of  varied  action  in  the 
present.  We  particularly  request  our  readers  to  keep  well 
in  mind  these  two  propositions,  since  it  is  upon  these  that 
our  argument  will  ultimately  be  built. 

62.  We  come  now  to  a  very  important  part  of  our  in- 
quiry. It  will  be  necessary  to  discuss  the  Principle  of  Con- 
tinuity, and  desirable  to  begin  by  defining  exactly  what  is 
meant  by  us  when  these  words  are  used.'  Let  us  illustrate 
this  by  an  example  : 

Let  us  take  a  particular  problem,  that  of  astronomy,  for 
instance,  and,  beginning  at  the  very  commencement,  let  us 
suppose  an  early  Egyptian  or  Chaldean  astronomer  to  be 
observing  the  sun  in  the  middle  of  summer.  Day  after 
day,  for  perhaps  a  week,  he  has  noticed  that  this  luminary 
rises  over  a  certain  place  and  sets  over  a  certain  other  place, 
and  he  conceives  that  he  has  now  obtained  some  definite 
information  regarding  the  sun.     His  idea  is,  that  the  sun 

See  Essay  on  this  subject  by  the  Honorable  Sir  W.  R.  Grove,  in  his  book 
on  "  The  Correlation  of  Physical  Forces." 

3 


50  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

will  always  go  on  doing  the  same  thing,  and  he  therefore 
predicts  to  his  fellows,  who  are  less  obsen^ant  than  him- 
self, exactly  where  it  will  rise  and  where  it  will  set.  They 
join  him  in  observing  the  luminary  for  a  week  or  more, 
and  the  sagacity  of  our  primeval  astronomer  is  triumphantly 
vindicated :  the  sun  is  found  doing  as  nearly  as  possible 
that  which  had  been  predicted  of  it. 

63.  These  men  have  now  got  hold  of  the  idea  that  the 
sun  will  always  rise  and  set  at  the  same  places,  that  in  fact 
his  daily  journey  is  always  the  same,  and  that  he  performs 
it  in  the  same  time.  But  in  the  course  of  six  months  they 
suspect  they  are  mistaken.  Discredit  is  thrown  upon  the 
sagacity  of  our  astronomer,  and  he  broods  over  his  disgrace 
for  six  months  longer.  At  the  end  of  this  time,  on  turn- 
ing his  eyes  toward  the  sun,  what  is  his  surprise  and  de- 
light to  find  that  luminary  doing  the  very  thing  that  he 
had  all  along  predicted,  returning  once  more  to  his  old 
points  of  rising  and  setting — places,  we  may  presume,  that 
could  easily  be  remembered  on  account  of  some  peculiarity 
of  landscape !  He  is  not  yet  prepared,  however,  for  a  higher 
generalization,  but  again  calls  for  his  fellows,  and  while  he 
suspects  a  certain  amount  of  irregularity  in  the  sun,  yet 
succeeds  in  convincing  them  that  his  guess  was  after  all 
not  far  from  the  truth.  Once  again  he  is  reinstated  in 
their  good  opinion. 

64.  However,  six  months  aftei',  precisely  the  same  thing 
recurs  once  more ;  the  rising  and  setting  points  are  now 
considerably  different  from  those  predicted.  Our  astrono- 
mer again  loses  credit,  and  regains  it  only  partially  six 
months  afterward,  when  the  points  are  once  more  right. 
But  he  has  now  learned. a  lesson.  He  perceives  a  method 
in  all  this,  and  ultimately  rises,  by  means  of  the  difficulty, 
to  a  higher  generalization.  He  sees  that  the  rising  and 
setting  points  of  the  sun  come  back  to  their  original  posi- 
tion in  about  365  days ;  and  he  has  thus  learned,  m  a  rude 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS,  51 

way,  that  the  sun  has  two  motions,  one  of  which  he  ac- 
complishes in  twenty-four  hours,  or  one  day,  while  the 
other  has  a  period  of  3G5  days,  or  one  year. 

65.  While  these  things  are  in  progress,  a  portentous 
and  wholly  unexpected  event  takes  place :  the  sun  for  four 
mimites  is  totally  extinguished.  Our  astronomer  medi- 
tates much  on  this  strange  phenomenon,  and  is  inchned  to 
regard  it  as  a  triumph  of  the  powers  of  darkness,  in  per- 
sonal conflict  with  those  of  Hght.  Nevertheless  he  does 
not  neglect  to  keep  a  record  of  the  precise  day  on  which  it 
took  place. 

QQ.  Years  pass  away,  and  our  astronomer  has  passed 
away  with  them — he  and  all  his  generation  ;  but  a  regular 
record  is  now  kept  of  celestial  occurrences,  and  especially 
of  eclipses.  At  length  it  comes  to  be  perceived  that  there 
is  a  penodicity  even  in  such  untoward  phenomena,  and  an 
attempt  is  ultimately  made,  by  means  of  this  knowledge, 
to  predict  when  the  next  eclipse  will  take  place.  It  is  per- 
fectly successful,  and  this  event  loses  thenceforth  much 
of  its  portentous  significance. 

6Y.  Centuries  move  on,  and  the  apparent  motions  of 
the  heavenly  bodies  have  now  been  gradually  reduced  to 
system.  The  stars  in  particular  are  found  to  move,  just 
as  if  they  were  attached  to  the  roof  of  a  great  hollow 
vault  which  moves  round  the  earth  once  in  twenty-four 
hours.  But  even  among  them  there  are  five  exceptions — 
namely.  Mercury,  Yenus,  Mars,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn — 
which  perform  a  sort  of  wandering  or  zigzag  motion  in  the 
midst  of  their  stationary  brethren,  and  have  in  consequence 
received  the  name  of  planets.  All,  however,  are  supposed 
to  move  round  the  earth,  which  forms  the  centre  of  the 
universe. 

68.  In  process  of  time,  this  superiority  of  the  earth 
over  the  heavenly  bodies  comes  to  be  questioned.  There 
is  a  rising  tendency  to  regard  our  earth  as  a  soraowhat  in- 


52  ^  THE  UNSEEN   UNIVERSE, 

significant  member  of  a  great  system,  rather  than  as  some, 
thing  apart  by  itself.  These  tendencies  are,  however, 
strongly  opposed  by  the  authorities  of  a  large  section  of 
the  Christian  Church,  on  the  ground  that  the  language 
employed  in  the  Jewish  Scriptures  is  against  such  a  method 
of  regarding  the  universe.  Nevertheless  the  Copernican 
system  ultimately  prevails,  and  the  planets  and  the  earth 
are  associated  together  as  stai-s  Avhich  travel  round  the  sun ; 
while  the  diurnal  motion  of  the  heavenly  bodies  is  attrib- 
uted to  a  motion  of  the  earth  round  its  axis.  And  we  can- 
not help  thinking  that  philosophers  of  the  present  day  are 
too  much  disposed  to  undervalue  the  absolutely  enormous 
stride  that  was  made  when  the  Copernican  system  was 
fully  established. 

69.  But  the  planets  are  still  supposed  to  move  in  per- 
fect circles  round  the  sun  ;  for  besides  agreeing  very  well 
with  observation,  there  is  a  simplicity  in  the  circle  that 
leads  philosophers  to  believe  that  Nature  would  adopt  it  in 
preference  to  any  more  complicated  curve.  Has  it  not 
bean  found  that  all  apparent  deviation  from  simplicity  was 
in  re.ility  due  to  the  fact  tliat  our  point  of  view  is  a  mov- 
able one,  and  does  not  this  lead  us  to  believe  that  the  real 
truth  will  be  found  in  a  circular  orbit  ? 

TO.  While  such  speculations  are  indulged  in,  Tycho 
Brahe  is  busy  with  his  instruments.  He  is  a  thoroughly 
accurate  man  of  science,  and  makes  most  excellent  observa- 
tions of  the  various  planets.  These  are  ultimately  dis- 
cussed by  Kepler,  who  finds  that  the  planets  do  not  move 
round  the  sun  in  circles,  but  in  ellipses,  having  the  sun  in 
one  focus.  He  finds  too  that  any  one  planet  describes 
areas  which  are  proportional  to  the  times  of  description ; 
while  the  squares  of  the  periodic  times  of  the  various  plan- 
ets are  proportional  to  the  cubes  of  their  mean  distances 
from  the  sun  These  are  Kepler's  laws ;  they  are  yet, 
however,  only  empirical.     We  know  them  to  be  true,  but 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  53 

we  cannot  tell  why  tliey  should  be  as  they  are,  and  not 
otherwise. 

71.  It  was  reserved  for  the  genius  of  Newton  to  show 
us  why  the  planets  should  obey  these  laws,  and  to  reduce 
the  planetary  system  under  the  domain  of  ordinary  me- 
chanics. He  succeeded  in  showing  that  every  mass  of 
matter  attracts  every  other  mass  with  a  force  which  is  di- 
rectly proportional  to  the  product  of  the  masses,  "and  in- 
versely proportional  to  the  square  of  the  distance,  and  that 
this  universal  force  accounts  not  only  for  Kepler's  laws  of 
planetary  motion,  but  for  the  orbit  of  the  moon,  as  well  as 
for  that  of  a  projectile  discharged  at  the  surface  of  the 
earth. 

'72.  If  we  now  pause  for  a  moment,  and  review  the 
progress  of  this  problem,  we  shall  see  that  it  began  with  a 
disposition  to  regard  simplicity  of  motiqi^  as  a  test  of  truth, 
and  when  the  Copernican  system  showed  that  our  point  of 
view  is  a  movable  one,  it  was  at  first  thought  that  this 
w^ould  explain  all  departures  from  absolute  simplicity. 
But  Tycho  Brahe  and  Kepler  soon  showed  that  the  planets 
do  not  mov^e  in  circles,  and  we  now  know  that  their  mo- 
tions, as  well  as  that  of  the  moon,  can  only  be  represented 
by  curves  of  extreme  complexity.  Simplicity  of  motion 
has  disappeared,  but  it  has  been  replaced  by  simplicity  of 
relation  between  the  various  members  of  the  system  which 
are  supposed  to  attract  each  other  according  to  a  simple 
and  definite  law.  This  law  may  be  supposed  to  contain  in 
itself  implicitly  all  the  various  and  complicated  motions  of 
the  solar  system.  If  applied  to  the  past,  it  will  enable  us 
to  ascertain  the  exact  date  of  the  ancient  historical  eclipses ; 
if  applied  to  the  future,  it  will  enable  us  to  foretell  all  the 
important  astronomical  occurrences. 

While  we  are  writing  these  words,  expeditions  are  in 
progress  to  observe  the  transit  of  Yenus,  which,  we  know, 
wdll  take  place  in  December,  1874 ;  but,  by  the  time  this 


54  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

book  has  been  published,  that  occurrence  will  doubtless  be 
a  thing  of  the  past. 

T3.  Turning  now  to  another  branch  of  the  same  prob- 
lem, when  Galileo  first  applied  his  telescope  to  the  sun,  he 
discov^ered  the  existence  of  sun-spots.  Their  solar  origin 
was,  however,  for  some  time  disputed,  the  schoolmen  of 
that  day  being  indisposed  to  believe  that  there  could  be 
any  possible  imperfection  in  the  sun.  There  was  even  a 
sermon  preached  on  Galileo,  the  text  of  which  was  "  Yiri 
Galilaei,  quid  statis  in  coelum  spectantes  ?  " 

However,  as  time  went  on,  observation  showed  that 
spots  were  unmistakably  solar  phenomena,  and  we  now 
know  that  these  very  imperfections  are  made  use  of  by 
modern  science  to  obtain  for  us  information  regarding  the 
chemical  and  physical  structure  of  our  luminary.  It  also 
appears  that  the  position  and  size  of  these  spots  depend 
upon  the  positions  of  the  planets  Mercury  and  Yenus,  and 
this,  as  well  as  other  phenomena,  indicates  the  existence  of 
some  mystenous  bond  between  the  sun  and  the  various 
members  of  his  system,  possibly  other  than  the  law  of 
gravitation,  as  we  now  understand  it,  can  express.  In 
fine,  simplicity  of  relation  threatens  to  disappear,  just  as 
simplicity  of  motion  disappeared  before  it. 

Y4.  Nevertheless,  in  this  triumphal  march  the  progress 
has  always  been  from  the  less  to  the  more  perfect,  from 
the  glimmering  of  early  dawn  to  the  clear  morning  light, 
if  not  to  the  bright  beams  of  the  noonday  sun.  Tempo- 
rary obstacles  have  appeared  only  to  be  surmounted,  and 
like  Augustine's  ladder  to  constitute  a  platform  from  which 
a  higher  and  more  comprehensive  view  might  be  obtained. 
Difficulties  too,  other  than  physical — struggles,  weariness, 
opposition,  have  been  encountered  and  overcome,  nor  has 
there  been  any  thing  like  a  grave  defeat,  or  the  production 
of  permanent  confusion.  The  concluding  words  of  the 
Te  Deum  have  been  abundantly  fulfilled  in  the  experience 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  55 

of  the  astronomer.  He  has  trusted  in  God,  and  he  has 
never  been  confounded. 

Y6.  Here,  then,  we  have  an  instance  of  what  is  meant 
by  Continuity.  It  does  not  imply  an  easy  progress,  or  a 
smooth,  level  road ;  it  is  consistent  with  a  temporary  halt, 
perhaps  not  even  inconsistent  with  a  temporary  breakdown, 
or  with  momentary  despair.  We  are  met  by  difficulties  of 
many  kinds — the  rock,  the  tangled  growth,  the  swamp,  the 
thick  darkness,  but  never  by  the  abyss.  ISTothing  has  oc- 
curred to  convince  us  that  our  path  has  been  absolutely 
wrong  from  the  very  commencement,  and  that  we  must 
altogether  retrace  our  steps ;  and  the  same  thing  holds  in 
other  problems  besides  astronomy.  Once  we  have  accumu- 
lated sufficient  trustworthy  evidence  to  show  us  that  we 
are  in  the  right  way,  we  are  never  afterward  irretrievably 
defeated. 

76.  Our  readers  will  now  perhaps  wish  to  have  an  ex- 
ample of  a  breach  of  Continuity — this  is  easily  given. 
Let  us  suppose  for  an  instant  that  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars, 
were  to  move  about  in  strange  and  fantastic  orbits  during 
a  day,  after  which  they  returned  to  their  previous  places. 
Here  we  have,  an  excellent  example  of  a  breach  of  Conti- 
nuity, for  even  if  things  were  so  arranged  as  to  prevent 
physical  disaster,  it  is  evident  that  the  whole  intelligent 
universe  would  be  plunged  into  irretrievable  mental  con- 
fusion. E"ever  again  could  it  be  said  that  astronomy  is 
competent  to  explain  the  varied  motions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies.  The  observers  of  the  universe  would  lay  down 
their  instruments,  and  the  mathematicians  their  calcula- 
tions, and  the  science  would  come  to  an  end. 

Other  examples  of  a  breach  of  Continuity  may  be  as 
easily  imagined.  Suppose,  for  instance,  that  the  gold  of 
the  world  were  to  disappear  for  six  hours  and  then  return 
to  it  again — should  we  not  have  all  the  social  relations  of 
men  as  well  as  their  conceptions  of  matter  thrown  into  ir- 


56  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 


retrievable  confusion  ?  This  would  not,  however,  be  due 
to  the  mere  fact  that  something  has  disappeared  from  the 
visible  universe.  Individual  consciousness  we  have  seen 
is  seemingly  in  the  habit  of  doing  so  and  again  reappear- 
ing, and  we  do  not  trouble  ourselves  much  about  it.    . 

Continuity,  in  fine,  does  not  preclude  the  occurrence 
of  strange,  abrupt,  unforeseen  events  in  the  history  of 
the  universe,  but  only  of  such  events  as  must  finally  and 
forever  put  to  confusion  the  intelligent  beings  who  regard 
them. 

T7.  It  thus  appears  that,  assuming  the  existence  of  a 
Supreme  Governor  of  the  universe,  the  principle  of  Con- 
tinuity may  be  said  to  be  the  definite  expression  in  words 
of  a  trust  that  he  will  not  put  us  to  permanent  intellectual 
confusion,  and  we  can  easily  conceive  similar  expressions 
of  trust  with  reference  to  the  other  faculties  of  man. 

78.  Let  us  now  endeavor  to  apply  this  principle  to  the 
discussion  of  those  events  that  are  alleged  to  have  taken 
place  in  connection  with  the  life  of  Clirist.  We  may  begin 
by  assuming  that  had  these  events  been  ordinary  ones  no 
doubt  would  have  been  entertained  regarding  their  actual 
occurrence  ;  it  is  not,  however,  our  province  to  discuss  the 
historical  evidence  in  favor  of  Christianity. 

Now,  until  of  late  years,  the  divines  who  have  asserted 
the  actual  occurrence  of  these  events  have  attached  to  this 
assertion  an  hypothesis  of  their  own,  representing  the 
events  in  question  as  absolute  interferences  of  the  Divine 
Governor  with  his  usual  physical  procedure.  Each  was 
thus  supposed  to  represent  in  its  physical  aspect  something 
that  could  not  possibly  be  deduced  from  that  which  went 
before  or  that  followed  after. 

It  was  not  exactly  asserted  that  they  were  arbitrary 
events,  or  that  they  were  not  the  results  of  purpose,  but 
only  that  the  purpose  of  which  they  were  the  accomplish- 
ment  could   not   be  carried   out   without   some   physical 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.       .  57 

break.  In  fine,  for  the  object  of  removing  spiritual  con- 
fusion, intellectual  confusion  was  introduced,  as  being  the 
lesser  evil  of  the  two,  so  that  each  intelligent  being  will 
forever  continue  baffled  in  any  attempt  to  explain  these 
phenomena,  because  they  have  no  physical  relation  to  any 
thing  that  went  before  or  that  followed  after  ;  in  fine,  they 
form  a  universe  within  a  universe,  a  portion  cut  off  by  an 
insurmountable  barrier  from  the  domain  of  scientific  in- 
quiry. 

'TO.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  say  that  we  cannot  see  any 
foundation  for  this  hypothesis  introduced  by  theologians 
regarding  these  events.  It  is  desirable  to  add,  as  we  have 
done  already  (Art.  36),  that  such  a  method  of  regarding 
them  is  essentially  opposed  to  the  genius  of  Christianity. 
Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  person  of  Christ,  it  can- 
not for  a  moment  be  said  that  he  was  above  law.  He 
speaks  of  himself  and  is  spoken  of  by  the  apostles  as  bound 
in  all  respects  by  the  laws  of  the  universe.  Nor  will  it 
suffice  to  say  that  he  obeyed  the  moral  and  spiritual,  but 
broke  occasionally  the  physical  laws  of  the  universe,  or  had 
them  broken  for  him.  In  fine,  what  Christ  accomplished 
was  not  in  defiance  of  law,  but  in  fulfillment  of  it;  and 
that  he  was  able  to  do  so  much  was  simply  due  to  the  fact 
that  his  position  with  reference  to  the  universe  was  differ- 
ent from  that  of  any  other  man. 

80.  Of  late  years,  however,  a  better  method  of  explana- 
tion has  been  adopted.  Charles  Babbage,  the  designer  of 
the  well-known  calculating  engine,  showed  in  a  very  re- 
markable book  which  he  called  a  ninth  "  Bridge  water  Trea- 
tise," that  it  would  be  possible  to  design  and  construct  a 
machine,  which  after  having  worked  for  a  long  time  accord- 
ing to  a  particular  method  of  procedure,  should  suddenly 
manifest  a  single  breach  iri  its  method,  and  then  resume 
and  forever  afterward  keep  to  its  original  law.  He 
argued  from  this  that  an  apparent  breach  in  the  physical 


58  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

procedure  of  the  universe  is  quite  consistent  with  the  fun- 
damental idea  of  law.  Jevons  also,  commenting  upon 
these  speculations  of  Babbage,  remarks  thus  in  his  "  Prin- 
ciples of  Science  "  (vol.  ii.,  p.  438) :  "  If  such  occurrences 
can  be  designed  and  foreseen  by  a  human  artist,  it  is  surely 
within  the  capacity  of  the  Divine  artist  to  provide  for  simi- 
lar changes  of  law  in  the  mechanism  of  the  atom,  or  the 
construction  of  the  heavens." 

81.  We  think  that  this  is  a  distinct  advance  upon  the 
old  idea,  but  nevertheless  we  venture  to  pronounce  it 
incomplete  without  some  further  explanation. 

The  power  of  the  Divine  Being  is  surely  unlimited, 
but,  nevertheless,  we  have  perfect  trust  that  God  will  work 
in  such  a  way  as  not  to  put  us  to  permanent  intellectual 
confusion.  Yet  even  on  this  hypothesis,  and  with  this 
trust,  a  single  apparent  exception  to  the  usual  procedure 
may  be  supposed  to  occur,  if  it  be  allowed  that  this  may 
be  made  use  of  in  order  to  deduce  from  it  the  great  gen- 
eral law  of  working  which  includes  both  the  usual  course 
and  the  apparent  exception.  But  it  appears  to  us  that  if 
the  exception  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  must  forever 
confound  all  the  intelligences  of  the  universe  who  regard 
it,  then  we  gain  nothing  by  the  supposition  that  it  was 
allowed  for  in  the  secret  counsels  of  God. 

82.  Undoubtedly  we  cannot  permit  certain  events  to 
be  set  aside  by  merely  human  authority  as  questions  into 
which  it  is  deemed  unprolitable  or  useless  for  our  reason  to 
pry ;  nay,  we  are  tempted  to  advance  even  further  than 
this,  and  to  assert  that  it  constitutes  om-  duty  as  well  as 
our  privilege  to  do  our  best  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  all 
events  that  come  before  us.  Do  not  all  terrestrial  occur- 
rences of  whatever  nature  form  that  material  upon  which 
the  intellect  of  man  is  intended'  to  work — that  earth  which 
man  is  commanded  to  subdue — a  command  equivalent  to 
victory  ? 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  59 

83.  We  have  now  indicated  with  sufficient  clearness 
the  fault  wx  have  to  find  with  the  theological  position  as 
it  stood  until  recently— let  us  next  briefly  allude  to  the  ex- 
treme school  of  science.  Ignoring  all  but  the  visible  uni- 
verse, and  applying  the  principle  of  Continuity  to  its  phe- 
nomena, they  were  indubitably  led  to  most  important  gen- 
eralizations regarding  the  method  of  working  of  this  great 
system.  They  even  drove  back  with  much  success,  and 
very  properly,  certain  detachments  of  theologians  who  had 
occupied  portions  of  the  field  in  an  unwarrantable  man- 
ner. So  far  the  Genius  wliich  they  had  summoned  up  ap- 
peared to  be  the  very  principle  of  order.  But  things  wore 
a  different  complexion  as  time  went  on.  It  was  fancied 
that  historical  Christianity  must  disappear,  and  that  the 
doctrine  of  immortality  must  follow  after  it.  They  were 
surrendered.  But  it  was  extremely  startling  when  the 
Genius  invoked,  not  content  with  what  he  had  already  de- 
voured, insisted  upon  the  ultimate  sacrifice  of  the  visible 
universe — then  the  most  extreme  partisans  of  the  school 
began  at  length  to  be  alarmed.  It  was  too  much  to  be 
borne,  that  a  Genius  summoned  up  in  the  very  name  of 
order  should  turn  out  to  be  such  an  insatiate  demon  as 
this !  Must  the  whole  visible  universe,  indeed,  arrive  at 
such  a  state  as  to  be  totally  unfit  for  the  habitation  of  liv- 
ing beings  ?  The  individual  they  were  content  to  sacri- 
fice, perhaps  even  the  race,  but  they  would  spare  the  uni- 
verse. Undoubtedly,  if  it  be  possible  to  pity  men  who 
could  so  easily  dispense  with  Christianity  and  immortal- 
ity, they  had  at  length  got  themselves  into  a  deplorable 
dilemma.  For,  indeed,  the  principle  which  they  had  in- 
voked was  absolutely  without  pity,  and  in  the  most  heart- 
less manner  continued  to  insist  upon  the  sacrifice  of  the 
visible  universe.  This,  they  were  told,  was  only  a  huge 
fire,  and  nmst  ultimately  burn  itseK  out.     JS'othing  would 


60  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

be  left  but  the  ashes — tlie  dead  and  worthless  body  of  the 
present  system. 

84.  1^0  wonder,  then,  that  these  men  should  be  star- 
tled at  their  conclusion,  and  try. somehow  to  evade  it.  "We 
sympathize  with  their  perplexity  ;  nay,  we  go  further,  and 
assert  that  to  imagine  the  whole  universe  to  come  to  an 
end  is  a  monstrous  supposition,  carrying  its  refutation  on 
its  very  face.  Nevertheless,  we  do  not  hesitate  likewise  to 
assert  that  the  visible  universe  must,  certainly  in  trans- 
formahle  energy,  and  probally  in  matter,  come  to  an  end. 
We  cannot  escape  from  this  conclusion.  But  the  princi- 
ple of  Continuity,  upon  which  all  such  arguments  are 
based,  still  demanding  a  continuance  of  the  universe,  we 
are  forced  to  believe  that  there  is  something  beyond  that 
which  is  visible,  or,  to  use  the  words  of  an  old  writer 
(which  we  have  inscribed  on  our  title-page),  "  the  things 
which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  which  are  not 
seen  are  eternal." 

85.  Looking  back  instead  of  forward — to  the  origin  of 
this  visible  universe,  rather  than  to  its  end,  we  are  brought 
to  a  similar  conclusion.  If  the  visible  universe  is  all  that 
exists,  then  the  first  abrupt  manifestation  of  it  is  as  truly 
a  break  of  continuity  as  its  final  overthrow. 

It  may  sound  strange  to  some  of  our  readers  to  be  told 
that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  man  of  science  to  push  back  the 
Great  First  Cause  in  time  as  far  as  possible ;  nevertheless, 
this  accurately  represents  the  part  in  the  universe  which  he 
is  called  upon  to  play.  "We  dig  into  the  crust  of  the  earth 
and  find  therein  stratified  deposits  containing  fossil  forms, 
and  we  may  either  suppose  that  God  created  these  as  they 
are,  or  that  they  came  into  their  place  through  the  opera- 
tion of  natural  forces,  and  represent  the  relics  of  an  ancient 
world  of  life ;  the  latter  of  these  is  undoubtedly  the  sci- 
entific hypothesis.     The  only  other  hypothesis  is  that  of 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  61 

some  prominent  luminaries  of  the  Romish  Church,  who 
asserted  that  the  devil  put  the  fossils  there. 

Or,  again,  we  may  suppose  that  God  created  the  sun, 
placed  the  earth  and  the  other  planets  in  their  present  po- 
sition, and  gave  them  the  requisite  velocity,  all  at  once,  or 
that  the  solar  system  gradually  condensed  into  its  present 
state  from  a  chaotic  mass  of  nebulous  material ;  certainly, 
again,  the  latter  is  the  scientific  hypothesis.  In  like  man- 
ner, if  we  can  suppose  any  material  phenomenon,  any  con- 
ditioned order  of  tilings,  antecedent  to  the  appearance  of 
the  visible  universe,  we  have  gained  a  step.  In  fact,  we 
conceive  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  man  of  science  to  treat 
the  original  production  of  the  visible  universe  just  in  the 
same  way  as  he  would  any  other  phenomenon.  It  is  no 
doubt  a  very  large  thing,  but  we  must  not  be  terrified  at 
mere  bigness — we  must  mete  out  the  same  scientific  meas- 
ure to  all  events,  whether  they  be  great  or  small.  We 
therefore  welcome  an  hypothesis  like  that  of  Sir  "W.  Thom- 
son, which  regards  the  primordial  atoms  of  the  visible 
universe  as  vortices  somehow  produced  in  a  preexisting 
perfect  fluid,  provided  that  such  an  hypothesis  is  other- 
wise tenable. 

86.  Let  not  any  of  our  readers  regard  this  process  as 
an  attempt  to  drive  the  Creator  out  of  the  field  altogether, 
for  this  is  not  the  case.  Is  it  less  reverent  to  regard  the 
universe  as  an  illimitable  avenue  that  leads  up  to  God 
than  to  look  upon  it  as  a  limited  area  bounded  by  an  im- 
penetrable wall,  which,  if  we  could  only  pierce  it,  would 
bring  us  at  once  into  the  presence  of  the  Eternal  ? 

In  fine,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  the  visible 
universe  cannot  comprehend  the  whole  works  of  God,  be- 
cause it  had  its  beginning  in  time,  and  will  also  come  to  an 
end.  Perhaps,  indeed,  it  forms  only  an  infinitesimal  por- 
tion of  that  stupendous  whole  which  is  alone  entitled  to  be 
called  The  Universe. 


62  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

87.  We  thus  see  that  the  extreme  scientific,  as  well  as 
the  old  theological  school,  have  erred  in  their  conclusions, 
because  they  have  neither  of  them  loyally  followed  the 
principle  of  Continuity.  The  theologians,  regarding  mat- 
ter and  its  laws  with  contempt,  have  without  scruple  as- 
sumed that  frequent  invasions  of  these  laws  could  consti- 
tute a  tenable  hypothesis.  On  the  other  hand,  the  ex- 
treme school  of  science,  when  they  were  brought  by  the 
principle  of  Continuity  into  such  a  position  that  the  next 
logical  step  should  have  been  the  realization  of  the  un- 
seen, failed  to  take  it,  and  have  suffered  grievously  in  con- 
sequence. 

88.  It  remains  now,  before  concluding  this  chapter,  to 
apply  the  principle  of  Continuity  to  the  problem  we  have 
in  hand. 

There  are  three  conceivable  suppositions  with  reference 
to  individual  immortality.  It  may  be  regarded  as  a  trans- 
ference from  one  grade  of  being  to  another  in  the  present 
visible  universe ;  or,  secondly,  as  a  transference  from  the 
visible  universe  to  some  other  order  of  things  intimately 
connected  with  it;  or,  lastly,  we  may  conceive  it  to  repre- 
sent a  transference  from  the  present  visible  imiverse  to  an 
order  of  things  entirely  unconnected  with  it. 

89.  This  last  hypothesis  may,  however,  be  very  speedily 
disposed  of  if  we  are  to  maintain  the  principle  of  Con- 
tinuity. We  have  seen  that  one  of  the  requisites  for 
existence  is  an  organ  connecting  the  individual  with  the 
past.  Now,  if  we  suppose  a  transference  from  the  present 
visible  universe  to  an  order  of  things  entirely  unconnected 
with  it,  this  will  imply  the  creation  in  the  future  universe, 
in  the  case  of  each  individual  so  transferred,  of  a  set  of 
organs  having  reference  to  something  entirely  different 
from  the  universe,  in  order  that  each  such  individual  may 
have  the  sense  of  continued  existence.  But  this  would  be 
a  manifest  breach  of  the  law  of  Continuity.     Imagine  the 


PHYSICAL  AXIOMS.  63 

utter  confusion  into  which  this  present  universe  would  be 
plunged,  if  a  set  of  inhabitants  w^ere  transferred  into  it 
having  a  past  entirely  unconnected  with  it.  Now,  a  confu- 
sion precisely  similar  would  be  occasioned  by  carrying  out 
a  transfer  according  to  the  hypothesis  in  question  ;  so  that 
we  are  able  at  once  to  reduce  our  suppositions  to  two  :  the 
first  implying  a  transference  from  one  grade  to  another  of 
the  visible  universe,  and  the  second  a  transference  from  the 
visible  universe  to  some  other  order  of  things  intimately 
connected  with  it. 

90.  In  what  precedes,  we  have  argued  by  anticipation 
that  the  present  visible  universe  will  become  effete  ;  but  in 
the  following  chapters  it  will  be  necessary>to  maintain  this 
assertion  by  a  minute  examination  of  those  laws  which 
represent  the  course  of  things  pursued  in  the  present  uni- 
verse. In  other  words,  we  must  settle  the  fitness  or  unfit- 
ness of  the  present  visible  universe  before  we  proceed  to 
discuss  our  second  hypothesis. 

91.  But  whether  the  transfer  be  supposed  to  take  place 
in  the  visible  universe,  or  from  it  to  another  intimately  con- 
nected with  it,  the  subject  in  either  case  is  one  on  which  we 
may  legitimately  employ  our  reasoning  faculties.  So  far, 
indeed,  is  its  subject  from  being  one  which  it  will  be  utterly 
and  forev^'  useless  to  discuss,  that  it  becomes  our  duty  as 
well  as  our  privilege  to  make  the  attempt,  in  the  perfect 
trust  that  time  will  inevitably  bring  truth  with  it.  We 
think  that  this  has  been  too  much  overlooked  by  those 
whom  we  may  term  the  moderate  school  of  scientific 
thinkers.  J^ot  denying  immortality,  they  have  yet  shrunk 
from  all  attempts  to  investigate  its  conditions.  We  are  in 
hopes  that  a  perusal  of  this  volume  will  lead  these  writers 
to  see  that  the  subject  is  one  which  may  be  profitably 
discussed. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

THE   PRESENT   PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE. 

"  The  cloud-capped  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples,  the  great  globe  itself. 
Yea,  all  which  it  inherit,  shall  dissolve  ; 
And,  like  this  insubstantial  pageant,  faded, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind." — Shakespeare,  Tempest. 

"  All  worldly  shapes  shall  melt  in  gloom, 
The  sun  himself  must  die 
Before  this  mortal  shall  assume 
His  immortality." — Campbell. 

92.  Having  in  the  last  chapter  briefly  indicated  the  na- 
ture of  the  proposition  which  we  intend  to  bring  forward, 
we  must  next  study,  as  a  preliminary  to  further  discussion, 
what  science  tells  us  about  the  present  physical  universe ; 
what  are  the  general  laws  to  which  it  is  now  subject ;  when 
and  what  must  have  been  its  beginning ;  when  and  what 
will  be  its  inevitable  end. 

We  have  been  driven  into  becoming  accustomed  to  the 
phrase,  "  the  material  universe,"  which  is  generally  used  in 
a  sense  absolutely  identical  with  that  which  we  have 
chosen  as  our  title.  We  shall  soon  see  that  the  term  is  a 
very  inapt  one,  inasmuch  as  matter  is  (though  it  may  sound 
paradoxical  to  say  so)  the  less  important  half  of  the  mate- 
rial of  the  physical  universe. 

In  the  present  chapter  we  shall  still  further  restrict  our- 
selves by  omitting,  as  far  as  possible,  any  reference  to  life 


THE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE,  65 

(even  in  its  lowest  aspect),  and  we  likewise  defer  to  a  future 
chapter  our  account  of  the  more  reasonable  speculations 
which  have  been  advanced  with  regard  to  the  intimate 
structure  of  matter  and  ether. 

93.  It  is  only  within  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years  that 
there  has  gradually  dawned  upon  the  minds  of  scientific 
men  the  conviction  that  there  is  something  besides  matter 
or  stuff  in  the  physical  universe,  which  has  at  least  as  much 
claim  as  matter  to  recognition  as  an  objective  reality, 
though,  of  course,  far  less  directly  obvious  to  our  senses  as 
such,  and  therefore  much  later  in  being  detected.  So  long 
as  men  spoke  of  light,  heat,  electricity,  etc.,  as  impondera- 
bles, they  merely  avoided  or  put  aside  the  difficulty. 

When  they  attempted  to  rank  them  as  matter — ^lieat, 
for  instance  as  caloric — they  at  once  fell  into  errors,  from 
which  a  closer  scrutiny  of  experimental  results  would 
assuredly  have  saved  them.  The  idea  of  substance  or  styff 
as  necessary  to  objective  existence  very  naturally  arises 
from  ordinary  observations  on  matter ;  and  as  there  could 
be  little  doubt  of  the  physical  reality  of  heat,  light,  etc., 
these  were  in  early  times  at  once  set  down  as  matter.  Fire, 
in  fact  (including,  it  is  to  be  presumed,  every  thing  which 
involved  either  heat  or  flame,  real  or  apparent),  was  in  early 
times  one  of  the  four  so-called  elements. 

In  those  days  the  sun  was  supposed  to  be  only  a  great 
fire ;  a  lightning-flash,  an  aurora,  or  a  comet,  was  merely  a 
flame ;  in  other  words,  the  essence  of  all  these  was  the 
element  fire,  or,  as  it  was  later  called,  caloric.  The  sun, 
except  when  he  appeared  as  the  spreader  of  pestilence,  was 
the  beneficent  fire,  as  were  also  some  of  the  planets ;  the 
lightning,  the  comet,  even  the  moon  and  Saturn,  were 
baleful  fires, 

This  endeavor  to  assign  a  substantive,  existence  to  every 
phenomenon  is,  of  course,  perfectly  natural ;  but  on  that 
very  account  excessively  likely  to  be  wrong. 


66  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

Humanum  est  err  are  comes  with  quite  as  much  heart- 
felt conviction  of  its  truth  from  the  lips  of  the  honest  pa- 
gan as  from  those  of  the  Christian  believer ;  though  per- 
haps its  meaning  maj  be  considerably  less  extended  in  the 
former  than  in  the  latter  case. 

94.  But,  before  discussing  what  is  that  something  else 
besides  stuff  which  has  an  objective  though  not  a  substan- 
tive existence,  let  us  in  the  first  place  inquire  into  the 
groimds  of  our  belief,  that  matter  itself  has  a  real  existence 
external  to  us ;  that,  in  fact,  the  so-called  evidence  of  our 
senses  is  not  a  mere  delusion.  Kow,  some  extreme  thinkers 
write  as  if  they  would  persuade  us  that  a  species  of  hallu- 
cination effects  with  similar  impressions  every  individual 
mind,  so  that,  for  instance,  one  man  may  usefully  warn 
another  about  a  pitfall  on  a  dark  road,  and  so  save  him 
from  a  catastrophe  which  might  otherwise  be  caused  by 
something  which  exists,  if  at  all,  in  the  mentor's  mind 
only — at  all  events  not  as  yet  in  that  of  his  pupil;  though, 
if  the  warning  be  unheeded,  or  not  given,  there  will  pres- 
ently be  another  mind  in  which  the  pitfall  will  certainly 
exist  with  startling  vividness.  But  this  is  altogether  repug- 
nant to  every  conviction  which  experience  (our  only  guide 
in  such  matters)  enables  us  to  form ;  and,  in  the  shape  in 
which  we  have  put  it,  could  hardly  be  held  at  all  by  any 
reasonable  being.  [N'ow  physical  science  furnishes  us  with 
the  following  among  many  other  arguments  in  proof  of  the 
reality  of  the  external  universe :  Exjperience  of  the  most 
varied  Tcind  consistently  shows  us  that  we  coAxnot  produce 
or  dest/i^o])  the  smallest  quantity  of  matter.  Exercise  our 
greatest  powers  of  imagination,  do  with  it  w^liat  we  please, 
we  cannot  make  our  senses  indicate  to  us  an  increase  or 
diminution  in  a  given  quantity  of  what  we  call  matter. 
We  find  it  so  far  amenable  to  our  control  that  we  can  alter 
its  arrangement,  form,  density,  state  of  aggregation,  tem- 
perature, etc. ;  nay,  by  so  approximating  it  to  other  matter 


THE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE.  67 

as  to-  produce  a  chemical  combination,  we  may  entirely 
transform  its  appearance  and  properties — all  hut  one :  its 
mass  or  quantity  is  completely  beyond  our  control.  Meas- 
ure it  by  what  process  we  please,  by  the  "  muscular  sense," 
by  weight,  anyhow,  there  it  is,  altogether  independent  of 
us,  laughing  our  efforts  to  scorn !  Can  this  be  a  mere 
mental  idea  which  the  mind  that  conceived  it  (or,  at  all 
events,  in  some  way  received  the  conception  of  it)  is  unable 
to  destroy. 

But  there  is  one  other  argument  on  this  point  which 
must  be  mentioned.  N^ot  only  do  our  own  senses  invariably 
indicate  to  us  the  impossibility  of  altering  the  quantity  of 
matter,  but  the  senses  of  all  men  alike  point  to  the  same 
quantity,  quality,  and  collocation  of  matter  in  the  earth  and 
external  to  the  earth.  Whence  this  extraordinary  agree- 
ment between  the  evidences  of  the  senses  in  different  men, 
when  the  minds  are  so  different  ? 

Our  conviction  then  of  the  objective  reality  of  matter 
is  based  upon  the  experimental  truth  that  we  can  neither 
increase  nor  diminish  its  quantity,  in  fact  on  what  we  may 
conveniently  for  our  present  purpose  call  the  Conservation 
of  Matter. 

95.  Here  let  us  pause  for  a  moment  to  compare  together 
this  view  of  matter  and  the  definition  of  the  laws  of  the 
universe,  which  we  have  already  given.  The  laws  of  the 
universe  we  defined  (Art.  54)  to  be  the  laws  according  to 
which  the  beings  in  the  universe  are  trammeled  by  the 
Governor  thereof  as  regards  time,  space,  and  sensation. 
Kow,  it  may  be  asked,  is  this  definition  consistent  with  a 
belief  in  the  objective  reality  of  matter  ?  We  reply  that 
the  two  are  in  perfect  accordance. 

We  do  not  here  intend  to  enter  into  any  metaphysical 
discussion.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  say  that  our  practical 
working  certainty  of  the  reality  of  matter  means,  firstly, 
that  it  offers  resistance  to  our  imagination  and  our  will, 


68  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

and,  secondly,  that  in  particular  it  offers  absolute  resistance 
to  all  attempts  to  change  its  quantity.  We  shall  soon  see 
that  both  properties  belong  to  something  else. 

96.  Returning  from  this  digression  let  us  therefore  as- 
sume-that the  objective  reality  of  the  external  universe  has 
been  proved,  and  that  this  reality  is  strongly  impressed 
upon  us  in  virtue  of  that  principle  which  we  have  called 
the  conservation  of  matter. 

But  as  soon  as  we  grant  this,  we  are  obliged  by  our 
reason,  however  little  our  senses  may  incline  us  to  it,  or 
rather  however  much  they  may  dispose  us  against  it,  to 
allow  objective  reality  to  whatever  is  found  to  be  in  the 
same  sense  conserved.  (We  have  here  italicized  these  four 
words  for  a  reason  which  will  afterward  appear.)  This  is 
a  question  which  deseiwes  and  must  get  careful  consid- 
eration. 

97.  In  abstract  dynamics  several  things  are  said  and 
mathematically  proved  by  deductions  from  experiment  to 
be  conserved,  but  one  only  of  these  in  the  strict  sense  in 
which  we  liave  spoken  of  the  conservation  of  matter.  We 
will  examine  them  briefly,  and  our  non-mathematical 
readers  must  pardon  us  if  in  this  examination  we  make  use 
of  certain  technical  expressions  belonging  to  the  domain  of 
inethematical  physics. 

(1.)  Conservation  of  Momentum. — What  is  understood 
by  this  is  a  mere  direct  consequence  of  Kewton's  first 
interpretation  of  his  third  law  of  motion,  viz.,  that  Action 
and  Reaxition  are  equal  and  oj)posite.  Stated  in  its  sim- 
plest form  it  asserts  that  the  momentum  of  a  system  of 
bodies,  measured  in  any  direction  whatever,  is  not  altered 
by  their  mutual  action,  whether  that  action  be  of  the  na- 
ture of  traction,  attraction,  repulsion,  or  impact.  And  we 
see  at  once  from  this  third  law  of  motion  that  it  nmst  be 
so,  because  the  change  of  momentum,  in  any  direction,  of 
any  one  part  of  the  system,  per  unit  of  time,  is  the  meas- 


TEE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    Um VERSE,  69 

lire  of  the  force  acting  on  that  part  in  that  direction. 
Whatever  momentum  in  this  particular  direction  is  gained 
by  one  member  of  the  system  must  have  been  lost  by  other 
members,  but  not  from  their,  whole  momentum,  merely 
from  the  part  of  it  in  this  direction.  It  thus  appears  that 
the  (algebraic)  sum  of  the  momenta  generated  by  the  mu- 
tual actions  of  the  system  is  zero. 

These  momenta  are  in  fact  directed  magniticdes  (like 
th-e  forces  of  which  they  are  the  measure),  and  are  there- 
fore capable  of  canceling  one  another.  In  this  sense  the 
conservation  is  of  the  same  nature  as  that  of  the  imagined 
electric  or  magnetic  fluids,  where  no  portion  whatever  of 
one  kind  can  be  produced  without  the  simultaneous  appear- 
ance of  an  equal  quantity  of  the  other,  a  quantity  just  ca- 
pable of  neutralizing  it.  This  is  obviously  not  in  any  sense 
analogous  to  the  Conservation  of  Matter  of  which  we  have 
just  spoken. 

(2.)  Conservation  of  Moment  of  Momentum. — Here  we 
deal  with  quantities  of  the  order  of  the  moments  of  forces 
about  an  axis,  i.  e.,  Gou])les  in  Poinsot's  sense.  These  also 
are  directed  magnitudes  depending  for  their  conservation 
upon  the  first  interpretation  of  Newton's  third  law,  and 
therefore  the  same  remarks  apply  to  them  as  to  the  pre- 
ceding. 

(3.)  Conservation  of  Vis  Viva. —  Vis  viva  is  the  old 
name  for  energy  or  the  power  of  doing  work.  We  now 
deal  with  quantities  which  cannot  possess  direction,  be- 
cause they  are  essentially  products  of  pairs  of  quantities 
similai'ly  directed,  and  are  therefore  all  to  be  treated  as  of 
the  same  algebraic  sign,  or  rather  (to  adopt  the  language 
of  Sir  W.  R.  Hamilton)  as  signless  quantities.  With  such 
there  can,  of  course,  be  no  canceling. 

To  make  our  meaning  clear,  let  us  consider  upon  what 
vis  viva  depends.  It  depends  upon,  and  is  proportional  to, 
the  product  of  the  mass  into  the  square  of  the  velocity. 


70  THE  UNSEEN  UNIYEBSE. 

Now,  mass  is,  of  course,  a  signless  quantity  ;  evidently  we 
cannot  have  negative  mass.  Then,  with  regard  to  the 
square  of  the  velocity,  this  will  be  positive  whether  the 
velocity  be  positive  or  negative,  whether  it  be  in  one  direc- 
tion or  the  opposite.  Vis  viva,  therefore,  or  energy,  is 
something  which  is  not  affected  with  the  sign  of  direction, 
or,  as  we  have  already  said,  it  is  a  signless  quantity. 

98.  We  have  said  that  the  energy  which  a  body  con- 
tains— its  vis  viva — its  power  of  doing  work,  is  indepen- 
dent of  the  direction  in  which  it  is  moving ;  and,  further, 
that,  while  the  mass  is  the  same,  it  is  proportional  to  the 
square  of  the  velocity.  For  instance,  we  may  measure  the 
energy  of  a  cannon-ball  or  of  an  arrow  by  the  distance  it 
will  carry  itself  up  against  the  force  of  gravity,  represented 
by  its  own  weight,  when  shot  vertically  upward,  and  we 
find  that,  with  a  double  velocity,  it  will  go  four  times  as 
high.  Or  we  may  point  the  cannon  horizontally,  and 
measure  the  energy  of  the  same  ball  by  the  number  of 
planks  of  oak-wood  which  it  can  penetrate,  and  we  shall 
find  that  a  ball  with  double  the  velocity  will  penetrate 
nearly  four  times  as  many  as  one  with  the  single  velocity. 
All  these  experiments  concur  together  in  convincing  us 
that  the  energy  of  the  ball  is  independent  of  the  direction 
in  which  the  cannon  is  pointed,  and  is  proportional  to  the 
square  of  the  velocity,  so  that  a  double  velocity  will  give  a 
fourfold  energy. 

99.  We  have  just  now  spoken  about  a  cannon-ball  fired 
into  the  air  against  the  force  of  gravity.  Such  a  ball,  as  it 
mounts,  will  each  moment  lose  part  of  its  velocity,  until 
it  finally  comes  to  a  stand-still,  after  which  it  will  begin  to 
descend.  When  it  is  just  turning  it  is  perfectly  harmless, 
and,  if  we  were  standing  on  the  top  of  a  cliff  to  which  it 
had  just  reached,  we  might  without  danger  catch  it  in  our 
arms  and  lodge  it  on  the  cliff.  Its  energy  has  apparently 
disappeared.     Let  us,  however,  see  whether  this  is  really 


TEE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UmVERSE.  Yl 

true  or  not.  It  was  fired  up  at  us,  let  us  say,  by  a  foe  at 
the  bottom  of  the  cliff,  and  the  thought  occurs  to  us  to 
drop  it  down  upon  him  again,  which  we  do  with  great  suc- 
cess, for  he  is  smashed  to  pieces  by  the  ball. 

In  truth,  dynamics  informs  us  that  such  a  ball  will 
again  strike  the  ground  with  a  velocity,  and  therefore  with 
an  energy,  precisely  equal  to  that  with  which  it  was  origi- 
nally projected  upward.  IS'ow,  when  at  the  top  of  the 
cliff",  if  it  had  not  the  energy  due  to  actual  motion,  it  had 
nevertheless  some  sort  of  energy  due  to  its  elevated  posi- 
tion, for  it  had  obviously  the  power  of  doing  work.  We 
tints  recognize  two  forms  of  enei^gy  which  change  into  one 
another^  the  one  due  to  actual  motion^  and  the  other  to  po- 
sition y  the  former  of  these  is  generally  called  kinetic,  and 
the  latter  potential  energy.  All  this  appears  to  have  been 
clearly  perceived  by  JSTewton,  who  gave  it  as  a  second  in- 
terpretation of  his  Third  Law  of  Motion.  His  statement 
is  in  language  equivalent  to  the  following :  ^  Worh  done 
on  any  system  of  hodies  has  its  eguivalent  in  the  form  of 
work  done  against  friction,  molecular  forces,  or  gravity, 
if  there  he  no  acceleration  j  hut,  if  there  he  acceleration, 
jpart  of  the  work  is  exjpended  in  overcoming  resistance  to 
acceleration,  and  the  additional  kinetic  energy  develoj^ed  is 
equivalent  to  the  vjork  so  spent. 

100.  Thus  Newton  expressly  tells  us  (though  not  in 
these  words)  that  we  are  to  include  in  the  same  category 
work  done  by  or  against  a  force — whether  that  force  be 
due  to  gravity,  friction,  or  molecular  action  (such  as  elas- 
ticity, for  instance),  or  even  to  acceleration. 

{a})  When  work  is  done  against  gravity,  as  in  lifting  a 
mass  from  the  groimd,  we  have  just  seen  that  it  is  (as  it 
were)  stored  up  in  the  raised  mass ;  we  can  recover  it  at 
any  time  by  letting  the  mass  descend.     Thus  it  is  that  we 

^  See  Thomson  and  Tail's  "  Natural  Philosophy,"  §  269  ;  or  Tait's  "  Ther- 
modynamics," §  91. 


Y2  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

furnish  a  clock  with  motive  power  sufficient  to  keep  it 
going  for  a  week  in  spite  of  friction  and  other  resistance, 
by  simply  winding  up  its  weights. 

(5.)  When  work  is  done  against  molecular  forces,  we 
have  a  similar  storing  up,  as,  for  instance,  in  drawing  a 
bow,  or  in  winding  up  a  watch. 

{c.)  When  work  is  done  against  the  inertia  of  a  body, 
i.  e.,  to  accelerate  its  velocity,  Newton's  definitions  show 
that  the  kinetic  energy  so  produced  is  equal  to  the  work  so 
spent. 

(d^  In  abstract  dynamics  we  simply  consider  as  lost 
the  work  spent  against  friction.  In  Newton's  time  it  was 
not  known  what  became  of  it. 

101.  Leaving  out,  then,  for  the  present,  the  fourth  al- 
ternative, we  see  that,  whatever  work  is  spent,  we  must, 
according  to  Newton,  even  in  abstract  dynamics,  recognize 
that  it  is  not  lost,  hut  only  transformed  into  an  equivalent 
quantity  stored  up  for  future  use,  either  in  a  quiescent 
form  (as,  for  instance,  a  raised  weight  or  bent  spring),  or 
in  an  active  form  (as  vis  viva  of  a  moving  mass).  Here, 
then,  at  last,  we  recognize  the  same  sort  of  conservation  as 
that  which  we  found  in  matter.  But  the  statement  so  far 
is  defective,  as  we  have  seen,  in  one  particular.  What  be- 
comes of  work  spent  in  overcoming  friction  ?  or  what  be- 
comes of  the  energy  of  the  blacksmith's  hammer  after  it 
has  struck  the  anvil  ?  To  this,  experiment  alone  can  give 
the  answer.     Let  us  see  what  it  has  told  us. 

Man  has  been  called  a  reasoning  animal,  a  laughing 
animal,  according  to  the  momentary  whim  or  humor  of  the 
classifier  ;  but  he  is,  perhaps,  still  more  definitely  separated 
from  all  other  animals  when  specified  as  the  "  cooking  ani- 
mal." Now,  it  has  always  appeared  to  us  as  something 
little  short  of  marvelous  that,  even  for  the  high  purpose 
of  cooking  his  food,  or  of  inflicting  exquisite  torture  on  a 
vanquished  foe,  savage  xmji  should  ever  have  hit  upon  the 


TEE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE.  73 

process  of  procuring  fire  by  friction.  Considering  his 
condition,  and  comparing  his  opportunities  and  his  success 
with  those  of  even  our  greatest  modern  physicists,  we  can- 
not but  look  upon  this  as  one  of  the  very  greatest  and 
most  notable  discoveries  ever  made  in  physics.  All  the 
more  notable,  too,  from  the  fact  that  a  man  like  Newton, 
though  of  course  aware  of  it,  absolutely  missed  its  signifi- 
cance even  at  the  very  moment  when  it  alone  was  wanted 
to  fill  a  serious  lacuna  in  one  of  his  grandest  and  most  im- 
portant practical  generalizations.  The  missing  link  was 
all  but  supplied  by  Kumford  and  Davy  at  the  very  end 
of  last  century.  Rumford's  boiling  of  water  by  the  heat 
generated  in  the  boring  of  a  cannon,  and  Davy's  melting 
of  ice  by  friction  in  vacuo,  were  each  conclusively  demon- 
strative alike  of  the  non-materiality  of  heat  and  of  the  ul- 
timate fate  of  work  spent  in  friction,  which  is  thus  seen  to 
be  converted  into  heat ;  or  at  least  these  experiments  could 
easily  have  been  made  demonstrative  by  very  slight  addi- 
tions to,  or  modifications  of,  their  authors'  methods  or  rea- 
soning. But  the  exact  and  formal  enunciation  of  the 
equivalence  of  heat  and  work  required  to  fill  the  lacuna  in 
Newton's  statement  was  first  given  by  Davy  in  1812. 

102.  Let  us  here  pause  for  a  moment  and  contemplate 
the  position  to  which  the  problem  had  now  attained.  Yisi- 
ble  kinetic  energy,  such  as  that  of  a  cannon-ball  shot  up- 
ward, is  transformed  as  it  rises  into  visible  potential  energy. 
As  the  ball  descends  its  energy  is  re  transformed  from  the 
potential  into  the  kinetic  variety  until,  when  it  is  about  to 
strike  the  earth,  it  has,  or  rather  would  have  if  there  were 
no  atmosphere,  as  much  kinetic  energy  as  it  had  when  it 
was  first  shot  upward. 

When  the  ball  has  once  struck  the  earth  its  kinetic  en- 
ergy is  changed  into  heat,  and  we  have  very  many  reasons 
for  regarding  heat  as  only  another  species  of  energy  :  and, 
generally  speaking,  in  all  cases  of  friction,  percussion,  and 
4 


74  TEE  UNSEEN  UmVERSE. 

atmospheric  resistance,  we  have  a  change  of  visible  energy 
into  heat,  as  for  instance  when  a  railway-train  is  stopped 
by  the  action  of  the  break,  when  a  blacksmith  strikes  the 
anvil  with  his  hammer,  or  when  a  cannon-ball  moves 
through  and  heats  the  air. 

"We  had  thus  come  to  the  stage  of  regarding  heat  as  a 
species  of  molecular  energy  into  which  visible  energy  is 
very  often  transformed,  and  very  soon  after  it  came  to  be 
perceived  that  there  were  other  forms  of  molecular  energy 
besides  heat — some  of  these  being  potential  and  some 
kinetic.  Thus  we  may  have  two  substances  possessing 
chemical  affinity  separated  from  each  other  just  as  we  may 
have  a  stone  separated  from  the  earth,  and  we  obtain  a 
form  of  potential  energy  in  the  one  case  as  truly  as  in  the 
other.  When,  for  instance,  we  have  carbon  or  coal  in  our 
cellars  or  our  mines,  and  oxygen  in  the  air,  we  are  in  pos- 
session of  a  store  of  energy  upon  which  we  can  draw  at 
any  moment  and  change  it  during  the  process  of  combus- 
tion from  the  potential  to  the  kinetic  form.  Again,  in  a 
current  of  electricity  we  have  no  doubt  a  species  of  ki 
netic  energy,  although  it  would  puzzle  men  of  science  tc 
say  what  such  a  current  precisely  means.  From  all  this, 
without  entering  further  into  scientific  details,  our  readers 
will  perceive  that  there  are  a  variety  of  forms,  some  of 
them  potential  and  others  of  them  kinetic,  in  which  energy 
may  appear. 

While  we  were  thus  grasping  the  fact  that  energy  can 
appear  under  various  forms,  we  were  also  beginning  to  per- 
ceive that  it  had  great  powers  of  transmutation — going 
about  from  one  form  to  another,  and  Sir  W.  R.  Grove  did 
good  work  at  this  stage  of  the  inquiry  in  bringing  together 
the  various  cases  of  such  transmutations  in  his  work  on 
the  "  Correlation  of  the  Physical  Forces." 

In  spite  of  this,  it  was  left  for  Joule  and  Colding,  who 
worked  almost  simultaneously  and  by  well-devised  experi- 


THE  PRmENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE.  75 

mental  methods  from  about  the  year  1840,  independently 
to  discover,  and  by  degi'ees  to  enunciate,  by  means  of  argu- 
ments founded  on  the  only  admissible  basis  of  experiment, 
the  grand  law  of  the  conservation  of  energy.  In  its  most 
general  form,  the  statement  of  the  conserv^ation  of  energy 
is  merely  a  completed  version  of  the  passage  we  have  al- 
ready quoted  from  I^ewton  ;  and  the  experimental  discov- 
eries of  Rumford  and  Davy,  extended  and  completed  by 
Joule  and  Colding,  allow  us  to  put  E^ewton's  second  or  al- 
ternative interpretation  of  his  third  law  of  motion  into 
the  modern  statement  of  the  conservation  of  energy. 

In  any  system  of  hodies  whatever^  to  which  no  energy 
is  communicated  hy  external  bodies^  and  which  parts  with 
no  energy  to  external  hodies,  the  sum  of  the  various  poten- 
tial and  Jcinetic  energies  reinains  forever  unaltered. 

In  other  words,  while  the  one  form  of  energy  becomes 
changed  into  the  other — potential  into  kinetic,  and  kinetic 
into  potential — yet  each  change  represents  at  once  a  crea- 
tion of  the  one  kind  of  energy,  and  a  simultaneous  and 
equal  anniliilation  of  the  other,  the  sum  of  both,  as  we 
have  already  said,  remaining  meanwhile  unaltered. 

103.  Taking  as  our  system  the  whole  physical  uni- 
verse, we  now  see  that,  according  to  the  test  we  have  already 
laid  down,  energy  has  as  much  claim  to  be  regarded  as  an 
objective  reality  as  matter  itself.  But  the  forms  of  state- 
ment are  most  markedly  different  for  the  two.  We  before 
spoke  of  the  quantity  of  matter  without  qualification,  but 
we  now  speak  of  the  sum  of  the  two  hinds  of  energy.  Let 
us  think  for  a  moment  of  this,  and  w^e  see  that  whereas  (to 
our  present  knowledge,  at  least)  matter  is  always  the  same, 
though  it  may  be  masked  in  various  combinations,  energy 
is  constantly  changing  the  form  in  which  it  presents  itself. 
The  one  is  like  the  eternal,  unchangeable  Fate  or  Neces- 
sitoM  of  the  ancients ;  the  other  is  Proteus  himself  in  the 
variety  and  rapidity  of  its  transformations. 


76  THE  UNSEEN-  UNIVERSE. 

104.  And  again,  energy  is  of  use  to  us  solely  hecaitse  it 
is  constantly  being  transformed.  When  the  sluice  is  shut, 
or  the  fire  put  out,  the  machinery  stops ;  when  a  man  can- 
not digest  his  food,  he  breaks  down  altogether.  Coal  in 
itself,  except  on  account  of  an  occasional  fossil  it  may  con- 
tain, or  its  still  somewhat  uncertain  mode  of  formation,  or 
(to  take  a  lower  point  of  view)  as  a  material  for  ornament, 
is  a  very  useless  thing  indeed  :  its  grand  value  consists  in 
its  chemical  affinity,  in  virtue  of  which  it  possesses  great 
potential  energy  as  regards  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  which 
can  very  easily  be  transformed  into  its  equivalent  in  heat. 
"  Keep  your  powder  dry,"  is  merely  one  way  of  saying, 
"Preserve  the  ready  transformability  of  your  energy." 
In  fact,  if  we  think  for  a  moment  over  what  has  just  been 
said,  to  the  efi'ect  that  the  only  real  things  in  the  physical 
imi  verse  are  matter  and  energy,  and  that  of  these  matter 
is  simply  passive,  it  is  obvious  that  all  the  physical  changes 
which  take  place,  including  those  which  are  inseparably 
associated  with  the  thoughts  as  well  as  the  actions  of  living 
beings,  are  merely  transformations  of  energy.  Thus  it  is 
an  inquiry  of  the  very  utmost  importance  as  regards  the 
present  universe  :  Are  all  forms  of  energy  equally  suscep- 
tible of  transformation  f  To  see  the  importance  of  this 
question,  the  reader  has  only  to  reflect  that  if  there  be  any 
one  form  of  energy  less  readily  or  less  completely  trans- 
formable than  the  others,  and  if  transformations  constantly 
go  on,  more  and  more  of  the  whole  energy  of  the  uni- 
verse will  inevitably  sink  into  this  lower  grade  as  time  ad- 
vances. Hence  the  whole  possibility  of  transformation 
must  steadily  grow  less  and  less ;  in  scientific  language, 
though  the  quantity  of  energy  remains  forever  unchanged, 
its  availability  steadily  decreases. 

105.  !N"ow,  every  one  knows  a  case  in  which  there  may 
be  an  unlimited  amount  of  energy  present,  no  part  of 
which  is  available  for  transformation.     It  is  the  simple 


THE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE.  77 

one  of  heat  in  a  number  of  bodies,  when  all  are  at  the  same 
temijerature.  To  obtain  work  from  heat  we  must  have 
hotter  and  colder  bodies,  to  correspond,  as  it  were,  with 
the  boiler  and  condenser  of  a  heat-engine  ;  and  just  as  we 
get  no  work  from  still  water  if  it  be  all  at  the  same 
level,  i.  e.,  if  no  part  of  it  can  fall,  so  in  like  manner  we 
can  get  no  work  from  heat  unless  part  of  it  can  fall  from 
a  higher  to  a  lower  temperature. 

106.  The  first  step  in  the  investigation  of  the  trans- 
formation of  heat  into  work  was  taken  by  Sadi  Camot  in 
1824 :  a  step  of  inestimable  value  in  every  branch  of  mod- 
ern physical  science.  He  devised  a  method  of  startling 
originality  for  the  purpose  of.  attacking  this  special  ques- 
tion of  the  production  of  work  from  heat.  His  inferences 
from  its  application  were  not  all  correct;  this  was  due, 
however,  to  no  fault  of  the  method,  but  to  the  fact  that  he 
unfortunately  assumed  (though  with  caution,  and  under  a 
protest  almost  amounting  to  an  assertion  of  the  opposite) 
the  materiality  of  heat.  His  method  embraces  two  per- 
fectly new  ideas : 

(1.)  That,  at  least  with  our  present  knowledge,  no  in- 
ference is  possible  as- to  the  relation  between  heat  and  work, 
until  the  heated  or  working  substance  is  brought  back,  after 
a  complete  Cycle  of  operations,  to  its  initial  physical  state. 

Obvious  as  this  statement,  once  made,  is,  it  was  altogeth- 
er ignored  (twenty  years  after  Carnot)  by  Seguin  and  Mayer, 
whom  some  authors  persist  in  setting  forth  as  the  found- 
ers of  the  dynamical  theory  of  heat.  Their  speculations 
were  entirely  vitiated  by  their  violation  of  this  principle. 

(2.)  That  an  engine  whose  cycle  of  operations  is  reversi- 
ble is  a  perfect  engine,  that  is  to  say,  gives  the  greatest 
possible  amount  of  work  from  a  given  quantity  of  heat 
with  any  assigned  temperatures  of  boiler  and  condenser. 

The  tei-m  reversible  is  not  here  used  in  the  popular 
sense  in  which  a  mere  reversal  of  the  direction  of  motion 


78  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

of  each  part  is  contemplated,  i.  e.,  what  would  be  more 
properly  termed  "  backing ; "  it  is  used  in  the  higher  sense 
of  taking  an  engine  which  converts  a  certain  quantity  of 
the  heat  spent  on  it  into  work,  while  it  lets  the  rest 
down  from  the  boiler  to  the  condenser,  and  then  chang- 
ing or  converting  it  into  an  engine  upon  which  the  same 
amount  of  work  is  spent  with  the  result  of  taking  back  the 
heat  from  the  condenser,  adding  to  it  the  heat-equivalent 
of  the  work  so  spent,  and  thus  restoring  the  whole  of  its 
original  loss  in  heat  to  the  boiler ;  simply  in  fact  reversing 
all  the  results  of  the  direct  action. 

107.  Sir  W.  Thomson,  in  1848,  was  the  first  to  recall 
attention  to  the  work  of  Carnot,  after  Colding  and  Joule 
had  published  their  discoveries ;  and  he  pointed  out  that 
the  action  of  the  reversible  engine  gave  what  had  been  up 
'to  that  time  vainly  sought,  an  absolute  definition  of  tem- 
perature— a  definition,  that  is,  altogether  independent  of 
the  properties  of  any  particular  species  of  matter.  In  fact, 
it  is  obvious  that  as  reversibility  in  the  sense  we  have  just 
explained  is  the  stamp  of  perfection  in  a  heat-engine,  all 
reversible  engines,  whatever  be  the  working  substance, 
will,  under  the  same  circumstances,  tlmt  is  to  say,  with  tJie 
same  temi?eratures  of  holler  and  condenser,  convert  the 
same  fraction  of  the  heat  spent  on  them  into  work.  This, 
of  course,  still  leaves  wide  scope  for  a  definition  of  tem- 
perature, but  that  ^finally  determined  on  by  Thomson  was 
chosen  (in  consequence  of  a  hint  from  some  experimental 
results  of  Joule)  so  as  to  make  the  absolute  measurement 
agree  nearly  with  that  of  the  long-known  air- thermometer. 
It  therefore  stands  as  follows : 

TTie  heat  talcen  in  hy  a  perfect  engine  is  to  the  heat 
given  out  hy  it  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  absolute 
temperature  of  the  hoiler  to  that  of  the  condenser. 

Of  course  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  it  is  only 
the  difference  between  the  heat  taken  in  and  that  given 


TEE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL 


out  by  any  engine  that  can  have  been  c) 
able  work.     This  follows  from  the  consef^ 

108.  Experiments '  carried  on  by  Joule  ana  inomson 
together  have  shown  that  the  absolute  zero  of  temperature 
is  nearly  274°  below  zero  of  the  centigrade  scale ;  so  that 
on  the  absolute  scale  the  temperature  of  melting  ice  is 
274°,  while  that  of  water  boiling  under  the  standard  press- 
ure is  374°. 

In  1849  James  Thomson  made  a  very  remarkable  ap- 
plication of  Camot's  reasoning,  the  first  of  a  series  of  such 
applications  which  have  since  done  immense  service  in  the 
extension  of  almost  every  branch  of  physics.  He  showed 
in  fact  that,  because  water  expands  in  the  act  of  freezing, 
the  melting-^point  of  ice  must  1)6  lowered  hy  pi^esswe.  Sir 
W.  Thomson  in  the  same  year  verified  this  deduction,  to 
its  numerical  details,  by  direct  experiment.  Trifling  as 
the  predicted  and  measured  effect  appears  (one  degree 
centigrade  for  each  two  thousand  pounds  additional  press- 
ure per  square  inch),  there  can  now  be  no  doubt  that  it 
goes  at  least  very  far  to  explain  the  varied  effects  of  the 
extraordinary  plasticity  of  glacier-ice  so  beautifully  made 
out  by  the  direct  measurements  of  Forbes. 

109.  We  have  said  that  Carnot  unfortunately  based  his 
reasoning  on  the  assumed  materiality  (and  therefore  inde- 
structibility) of  heat.  It  therefore  became  a  question  of 
great  importance  to  find  how  properly  to  adapt  his  meth- 
ods to  the  true  theory.  James  Thomson's  verified  predic- 
tion had  already  given  a  correct  and  absolutely  new  physi- 
cal result  from  his  principles.  How,  then,  must  we  get 
rid  of  his  false  assumption  ? 

Clausius  attempted  this  in  1850,  but  his  method  is 

^  "  They  showed  that  in  a  perfect  steam-engine  with  pressure  equal  to 
*  one  atmosphere '  in  its  boiler,  and  with  its  condenser  at  the  temperature  of 
melting  ice,  the  ratio  of  the  heat  taken  in  to  the  heat  given  out  is  1.365  to  1. 
Hence  if  the  difference  between  the  numbers  is  to  be  100,  these  must  be  374, 
274." — Philosophical  Trmi-sactions,  1854. 


80  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

based  solely  upon  the  observed  fact  that,  in  general,  heat 
tends  from  hotter  to  colder  bodies.  This  we  know  is  not 
always  the  case,  for  a  fine  wire  may  be  made  red-hot  by 
the  current  from  a  thermo-electric  battery  (of  a  sufiicient 
number  of  pairs)  where  ice  and  boiling  water  alone  are 
used  to  heat  and  cool  the  alternate  junctions.  Here  heat 
certainly  passes  from  colder  bodies  to  a  hotter  one.  Clau- 
sius  has,  no  doubt,  since  extended  his  original  statement, 
so  as  to  make  it  stand  thus :  Heat  cannot  of  itself  pass 
from  a  colder  to  a  hotter  body.  We  do  not  consider  even 
this  sufficiently  obvious  for  an  axiom,  were  it  certainly 
true,  but,  as  will  be  seen  later,  it  is  not.  In  fact,  it  is  con- 
stantly beiug  violated,  though  on  a  very  small  scale,  in 
every  mass  of  gas. 

110.  It  was  Sir  "VY.  Thomson  *  who  (in  1851)  first  cor- 
rectly adapted  Camot's  magnificently  original  methods  to 
the  true  theory  of  heat ;  and  it  is  especially  noteworthy  to 
remark  how,  even  at  that  early  time,  he  saw  the  full  danger 
of  attempting  to  lay  down  any  thing  too  definite  on  the 
subject.     The  following  is  the  axiom  he  gives  : 

"  It  is  imjpossihle  hy  means  of  inammate  7iiaterial 
agency  to  derive  mechanical  effect  from  any  j^ortion  of 
matter  hy  cooling  it  helow  the  temperature  of  the  coldest 
of  the  surrounding  objects^'' 

But  he  appends  the  following  guarded  note  : 

"  If  this  axiom  be  denied  for  all  temperatures,  it  would 
have  to  be  admitted  that  a  self-acting  machine  might  be 
set  to  work  and  produce  mechanical  effect  by  cooling  the 
sea  or  earth,  with  no  limit  but  the  total  loss  of  heat  from 
the  earth  and  sea,  or,  in  reality,  from  the  whole  material 
world." 

The  full  importance  of  this  will  appear  presently. 

To  those  who  can  accept  Thomson's  axiom  with  the 
explanation  appended  to  it,  Carnot's  proposition  that  a 

>  See  Tait,  Philosophical  Magazine,  1872,  I.,  338,  516;  II.,  240. 


THE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UFIVERSE.  81 

reversible  engine  is  perfect  (in  the  sense  of  being  the  best 
possible)  is  demonstrated  at  once,  as  follows,  ex  absurdo  : 

Suppose  there^  could  be  an  engine,  M,  more  perfect 
than  a  reversible  engine,  N.  Set  the  two  to  work  together 
as  a  compound  engine,  M  letting  down  heat  from  boiler  to 
condenser,  and  doing  work ;  JST  spending  work  in  pump- 
ing back  again  the  heat  to  the  boiler.  If  JST  be  made  to 
restore  to  the  boiler  at  every  stroke  exactly  what  M  takes 
from  it,  the  compound  engine  will  do  external  work ;  for, 
by  hypothesis,  M  is  more  perfect  than  E".  Whence  does 
the  work  come  ?  Not  from  the  boiler,  for  it  remains  as  it 
was.  Hence  N  must  take  more  heat  from  the  condenser 
than  M  gives  it ;  i.  e.,  you  get  work  by  cooling  the  con- 
denser. 

Carry  the  reasoning  a  little  further,  and  we  see  that  if 
the  excess  of  work  given  by  M  were  spent  upon  IT,  and 
thus  no  work  on  the  whole  either  spent  or  given  out,  the 
condenser  would  be  still  further  cooled,  and  the  boiler 
heated !  This,  to  most  people,  would  seem  to  imply  an 
ample  reductio  ad  absurdum.  But  Clerk-Maxwell  has 
shown  it  to  be  physically  possible,  and  has  thus  fully  justi- 
fied Thomson's  caution  about  his  axiom.  As  this  is  a 
point  of  very  great  importanos,  we  offer  no  excuse  for 
treating  it  pretty  fully. 

111.  Maxwell's  reasoning  is  given  as  depending  upon 
the  molecular  theory  of  gases,  but  the  only  necessity  for 
so  restricting  it  appears  to  be,  that  we  thereby  connect  the 
reasoning  more  directly  with  Ileo.t,  which,  on  this  theory, 
is  supposed  to  be  the  energy  of  motion  of  the  molecules 
of  the  gas.  The  illustration,  however,  is  more  general, 
and  at  the  same  time  more  simple,  if  we  do  not  at  first 
refer  either  to  heat  or  to  the  molecular  hypothesis  of  the 
constitution  of  gases,  but  treat  the  question  simply  as  one 
concerning  the  possible  motions  of  a  number  of  little  ma- 
terial particles. 


82  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

Assume,  then,  that  a  great  number  of  small,  equal 
spherical  particles  of  matter  are  inclosed  in  a  vessel  of  any 
form,  and  assume  further  that  (either  by  collision  or  by. 
repulsive  force)  each  of  these  has  the  power  of  rebound- 
ing from  another  or  from  the  wall  of  the  vessel,  as  if  it 
were  elastic,  and  had  unit  coeffioient  of  restitution^^  as  de- 
fined in  treatises  on  natural  philosophy.  Then  it  can  be 
Bhown,  as  a  matter  of  direct  calculation,  that — start  these 
particles  as  we  please,  in  all  sorts  of  directions,  and  with 
velocities  as  varied  as  we  please — after  a  time,  which  will 
be  shorter  as  the  number  of  particles  is  greater,  a  sort  of 
permanent  state  will  be  arrived  at,  in  which  a  certain  law 
of  distribution  of  velocity  prevails  among  the  particles 
(the  same  law  as  that  of  the  Prohability  of  Error,  as  it  is 
technically  called),  the  greater  number  of  them  having 
nearly  the  mean  square  velocity,  and  those  which  have 
much  less  or  more  than  that  being  fewer  and  fewer  as  the 
defect  or  excess  is  greater.  The  tendency  is  to  an  aver- 
age distribution  of  these  varieties  of  velocity  throughout 
the  vessel,  and  the  impacts  on  the  sides  will  thus  be  near- 
ly the  same  on  every  square  inch  of  its  surface.  After 
this  there  is — always  provided  the  particles  he  sufficiently 
numerous — ^no  perceptible  change  in  the  statistics  of  the 
group,  except  in  so  far  as  concerns  indimdual  particles, 
which  may  sometimes  be  moving  with  great,  sometimes 
with  very  small,  velocity,  but  which,  in  the  long-run,  will 
far  more  often  be  moving  with  the  mean  square  velocity, 
or  at  least  some  velocity  very  near  it.  Hence,  in  no  part 
of  the  vessel  will  the  average  energy  be  sensibly  greater 
than  in  another,  and  therefore  (so  far  as  the  contents 
of  the  vessel  alone  are  concerned)  there  is  no  possibility 
of  getting  work  from  them.  But  by  enlisting  in  our  ser- 
vice conceivable  finite  beings  (imagined  by  Clerk-Maxwell, 

^  Thomson  and  Tait's  "  Natural  Philosophy,"  §  300 ;  or  Tait  and  Steele's 
"  Dynamics  of  a  Particle,"  third  edition,  §  299. 


THE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE,  83 

and  called  demons  by  Thomson),  it  would  be  possible  ma- 
terially to  alter  tliis  state  of  tilings,  even  although  these 
beings  should  do  absolutely  no  work. 

112.  For  suppose  a  firm  partition,  full  of  little  doors 
(themselves  without  mass),  to  be  placed  so  as  to  divide  the 
vessel  into  two,  and  set  a  demon  at  each  door,  with  instruc- 
tions to  open  it  for  an  instant  whenever  he  sees  he  can 
thereby  let  a  quick-moving  particle  escape  from  the  first 
compartment  to  the  second,  or  a  slow-moving  particle  from 
the  second  into  the  first.  Then,  tecause  the  tendency  is  not 
to  a  uniform  distribution  of  velocity  among  the  particles, 
but  to  a  distribution  which  involves  quicker  and  slower  in 
certain  proportions,  we  may  imagine  this  process  to  be  car- 
ried on  long  enough  to  make  a  considerable  difference  in 
the  average  velocities  of  the  particles  in  the  two  compart- 
ments, i.  e.j  a  greater  pressure  per  square  inch  on  the  walls 
of  the  second  compartment  than  of  the  first ;  and  thus,  if 
the  partition-wall  were  movable,  a  certain  amount  of  work 
might  be  obtained  by  allowing  it  to  move.  Thus  a  group 
of  particles  originally  incapable,  without  external  assist- 
ance, of  doing  work,  may  be  rendered  capable  of  doing 
work  by  mere  guidance  applied  by  finite  intelligence. 

113.  Now  let  us  refer  for  a  moment  to  the  molecular 
theory  of  gases,  and  we  see  that  what  the  demons  (without 
any  expenditure  of  work,  each  being,  so  far  as  he  is  re- 
quired, virtually  a  combination  of  two  intelligent  perfect 
engines,  one  working  direct,  the  other  reversed)  have 
guided  the  gas  to  do,  is  to  transfer  heat  from  a  colder  to  a 
hotter  portion  of  the  gas. 

The  only  reason  why  this  does  not  occur  without  the 
assistance  of  demons  (at  least  to  an  extent,  or  for  a  length 
of  time,  sufficient  to  produce  a  sensible  effect)  lies  in  the 
enormous  number  of  particles  per  cubic  inch  in  even  the 
most  rarefied  gas.  Hence,  solely  because  of  the  excessive 
nunibers  and  Tninuteness  of  the  particles  of  matter^  the 


84  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

one  chance  of  escape  from  Carnot's  proposition  is  denied 
us,  and  therefore  we  must  allow  that,  so  far  as  the  physi- 
cal universe  is  concerned,  a  reversible  heat-engine  is  the 
best  possible. 

114.  But  if  a  reversible  heat-engine  be  the  best  pos- 
sible, then  the  principle  which  we  have  italicized  in  Art. 
107  must  hold  good,  and  from  this  it  follows  that  only  a 
portion  of  the  heat  passing  through  a  perfect  engine  can 
be  transformed  into  useful  work  unless  the  condenser  of 
the  engine  be  at  the  absolute  zero  of  temperature — a  con- 
dition which  can  never  be  attained. 

It  thus  appears  that  at  each  transformation  of  heat- 
energy  into  work  a  large  portion  is  degraded,  while  only  a 
small  portion  is  transformed  into  work.  So  that  while  it 
is  very  easy  to  change  all  of  our  mechanical  or  useful 
energy  into  heat,  it  is  only  possible  to  transform  a  portion 
of  this  heat-energy  back  again  into  work.  After  each 
change  too  the  heat  becomes  more  and  more  dissipated  or 
degraded,  and  less  and  less  available,  for  any  future  trans- 
formation. 

In  other  words,  the  tendency  of  heat  is  toward  equali- 
zation; heat  isj9<z/*  excellence  the  communist  of  our  uni- 
verse, and  it  will  no  doubt  ultimately  bring  the  system  to 
an  end.  This  universe  may  in  truth  be  compared  to  a  vast 
heat-engine,  and  this  is  the  reason  why  we  have  brought 
such  engines  so  prominently  before  our  readers.  The  sun 
is  the  furnace  or  source  of  high-temperature  heat  of  our 
system,  just  as  the  stars  are  for  other  systems,  and  the 
energy  which  is  essential  to  our  existence  is  derived  from 
the  heat  which  the  sun  radiates,  and  represents  only  a  very 
small  portion  of  that  heat.  But  while  the  sun  thus  sup- 
plies us  with  energy  he  is  himself  getting  colder,  and  must 
ultimately,  by  means  of  radiation  into  space,  part  with  the 
life-sustaining  power  which  ho  at  present  possesses.  Be- 
sides the  cooling  of  the  sun,  we  must  also  suppose  that 


THE  PRESENT  PHYSICAL    UNIVERSE.  85 

owing  to  something  analogous  to  ethereal  friction^  the 
earth  and  the  other  planets  of  our  system  will  be  drawn 
spirally  nearer  and  nearer  the  sun,  and  will  at  length  be 
engulfed  in  his  mass.  In  each  such  case  there  will  be,  as 
the  result  of  the  collision,  the  conversion  of  visible  en- 
ergy into  heat,  and  a  partial  and  temporary  restoration  of 
the  power  of  the  sun.  At  length,  however,  this  process 
will  have  come  to  an  end,  and  he  will  be  extinguished 
until,  after  long  but  not  immeasurable  ages,  by  means  of 
the  same  ethereal  friction  his  black  mass  is  brought  into 
contact  with  that  of  his  nearest  neighbor. 

115.  I^ot  much  further  need  we  dilate  on  this.  It  is 
absolutely  certain  that  life,  so  far  as  it  is  physical,  depends 
essentially  upon  transformations  of  energy ;  it  is  also  ab- 
solutely certain  that  age  after  age  the  possibility  of  such 
transformations  is  becoming  less  and  less ;  and,  so  far  as 
we  yet  know,  the  final  state  of  the  present  universe  must 
be  an  aggregation  (into  one  mass)  of  all  the  matter  it  con- 
tains, i.  e.,  the  potential  energy  gone,  and  a  practically  use- 
less state  of  kinetic  energy,  i.  e.,  uniform  temperature 
throughout  that  mass. 

But  the  present  potential  energy  of  the  solar  system  is 
so  enormous,  approaching  in  fact  possibly  to  what  in  our 
helplessness  we  call  infinite,  that  it  may  supply  for  abso- 
lutely incalculable  future  ages  what  is  required  for  the 
physical  existence  of  life.  Again,  the  fall  together,  from 
the  distance  of  Sirius,  let  us  say,  of  the  sun  and  an  equal 
star  would  at  once  supply  the  sun  with  at  least  thirty  times 
as  much  energy  for  future  radiation  to  possible  planets  as 
could  possibly  have  been  acquired  by  his  own  materials  in 
falling  together  from  practically  infinite  diffusion  as  a 
cloud  of  stones  or  dust,  or  a  nebula;  so  that  it  is  certain 
that,  if  the  present  physical  laws  remain  long  enough  in 

^  Stewart  and  Tait  "  On  the  Heating  of  a  Disk  by  Rotation  in  vacuo  "  (Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Royal  Society). 


86  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

operation,  there  will  be  (at  immense  intervals  of  time) 
mighty  catastrophes  due  to  the  crashing  together  of  de- 
funct suns — the  smashing  of  the  greater  part  of  each  into 
nebulous  dust  suiTOunding  the  remainder,  which  will  form 
an  intensely  heated  nucleus — then,  possibly,  the  formation 
of  a  new  and  larger  set  of  planets  with  a  proportionately 
larger  and  hotter  sun,  a  solar  system  on  a  far  grander  scale 
than  the  present.  And  so  on,  growing  in  grandeur,  but 
diminishing  in  number  till  the  exhaustion  of  energy  is 
complete,  and  after  that  eternal  rest,  so  far  at  least  as  visi- 
ble motion  is  concerned. 

116.  The  study  of  the  necessary  future  has  prepared  us 
for  an  inquiry  into  the  long-remote  past.  Just  as  the  pres- 
ent discrete  stellar  systems  must  finally  come  together,  so 
the  materials  which  now  form  them  must  have  originally 
been  widely  separate.  Our  modern  knowledge  enables  us 
to  look  back  with  almost  certitude  to  the  time  when  there 
was  nothing  but  gravitating  matter  and  its  potential  energy 
throughout  the  expanse  of  space — ready,  as  slight  local  dif- 
ferences of  distribution  predisposed  it,  to  break  up  into 
portions,  each  converging  to  one  or  more  nuclei  of  its  own, 
and  thus  forming  in  time  separate  solar  or  stellar  systems. 
We  have  thus  reached  the  beginning  as  well  as  the  end  of 
the  present  visible  universe,  and  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  began  in  time  and  will  in  time  come  to  an  end. 
Immortality  is  therefore  impossible  in  such  a  universe. 


CHAPTEE  lY. 

MATTER     AND     ETHER. 

"  Felix  qui  potuit  rerum  cognoscere  causas, 
atque  metus  omnis  et  inexorabile  fatum 
subjecit  pedibus,  strepitumque  Acherontis  avari." 

Virgil. 

"  Who  shall  tempt  with  wandering  feet 
The  dark,  unbottomed,  infinite  abyss, 
And  through  the  palpable  obscure  find  out 
His  uncouth  way  ;  or  spread  his  airy  flight 
Over  the  vast  abrupt,  ere  he  arrive 
The  happy  isle  ?  "■ — Milton,  Paradise  Lost. 

11 Y.  The  next  portion  of  the  preliminary  inquiry  neces- 
sary to  our  concluding  argument  is  that  which  relates  to 
the  intimate  nature  of  matter;  and  more  especially  of 
that  very  wonderful  form  of  matter  which  is  the  vehicle 
of  all  the  energy  we  receive  from  the  sun,  as  it  is  that  of 
all  the  information  we  obtain  about  the  position,  motion, 
nature,  mass,  condition,  and  properties  of  the  almost  infi- 
nitely more  distant  bodies  which  are  scattered  through 
cosmical  space. 

To  use  the  comparison  of  a  writer  on  energy,  we  have 
hitherto  spoken  only  of  the  laws  of  working  of  that  machine 
called  the  physical  universe  ;  let  us  now  endeavor  to  study 
the  structure  of  that  material  of  which  it  is  composed. 

118.  Yarious  hypotheses  have  been  proposed  as  to  the 
ultimate  nature  of  matter.  To  give  even  a  general  account 
of  all  the  less  absurd  of  these  would  require  a  large  volume. 


88  THE  UNSEEN-  UNIVERSE. 

so  we  content  ourselves  with  a  few  of  the  more  reasonable 
or  historically  more  important. 

(1.)  The  foremost  place  nmst  of  course  be  taken  by  the 
old  Greek  notion  of  the  Atom.  The  outlines  of  the  atomic 
theory  were  laid  down  very  precisely  by  Democritus  and 
Leukippus  {circa  400  b.  c),  who  taught  that  the  whole 
universe  is  made  up  of  empty  space  and  eternal  atoms, 
differing  only  in  form  (as  A  and  N),  order  (as  AN  and 
NA),  and  posture  (as  Z  and  N).  The  atoms  are  endued 
with  a  primitive  motion  in  virtue  of  their  weight,  and, 
clashing  together,  produce  vortices  from  which  the  world  is 
formed.  The  gradual  progress  of  this  whirl  of  atoms  brings 
similar  elements  together,  as  in  the  sifting  of  grain,  and  so 
the  atoms  are  grouped  into  homogeneous  masses.  The 
great  weakness  of  this  theory  lay  in  the  very  false  ideas 
then  held  as  to  the  nature  of  motion  by  weight,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  necessarily  in  parallel  lines,  and  with  a 
velocity  greater  for  heavy  than  for  light  bodies.  The  diffi- 
culty which  arose  from  this  notion  led  Epicurus  to  give  to 
the  atoms  a  perfectly  arbitrary  and  capricious  side  move- 
ment, as  well  as  the  rectilineal  motion  due  to  their  weight, 
and  thus,  in  his  school,  the  theory  became  really  a  meta- 
physical one,  reducing  the  order  of  the  universe  to  pure 
chance.  It  is  such  a  medley  of  physical  speculations,  with 
metaphysical  notions,  that  we  find  in  the  greatest  exponent 
of  the  system,  the  "  poet  philosopher  "  Lucretius.  With  the 
help  of  Munro's  splendid  edition  of  the  text  of  Lucretius, 
and  his  very  valuable  translation  and  notes,  it  is  now  a  com- 
paratively easy  matter  to  give  a  concise  summary  of  the 
principal  points  of  this  most  remarkable  early  physical 
speculation.  In  attempting  to  do  so  we  will  endeavor,  so 
far  as  we  can,  to  bear  in  mind  the  awful  but  too  often 
disregarded  warning  given  by  the  poet  himself  : 

"  Onmia  enim  stolidi  magis  admirantur  amantque, 
inversis  quae  sub  verbis  latitantia  cernunt, 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  89 

veraque  constituunt  quae  belle  tangere  possunt 
auris  et  lepido  qu8B  sunt  f-ucata  sonore."  ^ 


119.  As  the  purpose  of  the  poem  of  Lucretius  is  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  very  opposite  of  our  present  theme,  we 
must  consider  a  good  deal  more  of  his  work  than  the  mere 
properties  of  atoms.  Lucretius  tells  us  that  his  object  is  to 
dispel  the  fear  of  the  gods,  which  he  supposes  to  arise 
simply  from  the  fact  that  there  are  so  many  things  which 
men  do  not  yet  understand,  and  therefore  suppose  to  be 
effected  by  divine  power. 

Religion,  which  crushes  human  life  prostrate  upon 
earth,  is,  he  says,  now  put  under  foot ;  and  the  great  victory 
achieved  by  his  Greek  instructor  over  the  immeasurable 
universe  (in  finding  what  can  and  what  cannot  come  into 
being)  brings  us  level  with  heaven. 

His  followers  are  not  to  fancy  that  there  is  any  sin  in 
this ;  on  the  contrary,  religion  has  perpetually  been  the 
cause  of  sinful  deeds.  There  is,  however,  danger  of  their 
relapse,  for  the  terror-speaking  seers  may  once  more  over- 
come them.  But  if  men  could  only  be  convinced  that  the 
soul  is  born  and  perishes  with  us,  then  they  would  be  able 
to  take  their  ease,  and  withstand  alike  religious  scruples 
and  threatenings  of  the  seers.  For  this  purpose  we  must 
find  out  what  mind  and  soul  consist  of,  and  how  every  thing 
on  earth  proceeds ;  and  if  we  can  do  this,  we  may,  of 
course,  dispense  with  the  gods. 

120.  FiKST,  then,  nothing  comes  from  nothing .^  which 
seems  to  be  meant  in  the  sense  that  there  is  a  physical  cause 
for  every  thing ;  at  least  all  the  examples  which  are  adduced 
in  proof  of  the  statement  are  mere  instances  of  what  might 
be  conceived  to  happen,  if  there  were  no  fixed  determining 

M.,  641.  Thus  rendered  by  Munro  :  "  For  fools  admire  and  like  all  things 
the  more  which  they  perceive  to  be  concealed  under  involved  language,  and 
determine  things  to  be  true  which  can  prettily  tickle  the  ears  and  are  var- 
nished over  with  finely-sounding  phrase." 


90  TEE   UNSEEN   UNIVERSE. 

physical  law  or  cause.  But  the  author  is  obscure  on  this 
point,  for  he  sometimes  makes  us  inclined  to  think  that  ho 
is  virtually  only  asserting  the  eternal,  unchangeable,  exist- 
ence of  the  atom — the  "first  beginning  of  things." 

As  a  corollary  of  this,  of  course,  Nature  does  not  annihi- 
late things^  but  dissolves  them  back  into  their  first  bodies. 
The  same  negative  proof  is  here  attempted.  Nothing  is 
lost,  but  [N^ature  can  beget  nothing  till  she  is  recruited  by 
the  death  of  something  else.  Then,  to  reconcile  the  reader 
to  the  invisibility  of  these  first  bodies,  he  is  shown  how 
Nature  works  by  invisible  things,  as  wind  and  moisture  ; 
how  marriage-rings  and  paving-stones,  ploughshares  and 
statues,  are  worn  away  without  the  loss  of  any  visible 
particles.  Nature,  therefore,  works  by  unseen  bodies. 
Smell,  heat,  cold,  etc.,  must  consist  of  a  bodily  nature,  be- 
cause they  affect  the  senses ;  for  nothing  but  body  can  touch 
and  be  touched. 

121.  But,  SECONDLY,  thci^e  is  also  void  in  things,  else 
they  would  be  jammed  together,  and  unable  to  move.  It  is 
false  to  say  that  things  may  move  in  2ipUnum:  as,  when  a 
fish  presses  on,  it  leaves  room  behind  it,  into  which  the 
water  may  stream ;  for  on  what  side  can  the  scaly  creature 
move  forward  unless  the  waters  have  first  made  room ;  and 
on  what  side  can  the  waters  give  place  so  long  as  the  fish 
cannot  move  ?  (This  of  course  is  metaphysics,  and  is  alto- 
gether absurd.  It  is  the  old  story  of  the  immovable  body 
receiving  the  irresistible  blow.)  Hence  there  cannot  be  mo- 
tion unless  there  be  void  to  allow  of  a  start.  Dripping  of 
water  in  caves,  the  passage  of  food  throughout  the  whole 
body  of  an  animal,  the  fact  that  buds  and  fruit  of  trees  are 
nourished  from  the  roots,  voices  heard  through  walls,  cold 
penetrating  the  very  bones,  all  are  proofs  that  there  is  void  as 
well  as  body.  Also  when  one  thing  is  as  large  as  another, 
but  yet  lighter,  there  must  be  more  void  in  it. 

122.  Third.  There  can  he  no  third  thing  besides  hody 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  91 

and  void.     For  if  it  be  to  the  smallest  extent  tangible,  it  is 
body ;  if  not,  it  is  void. 

123.  Fourth.  Bodies  are  either  first  heginnings  of  things 
(atoms),  or  a  union  of  such.  Any  tbing  which  can  be 
broken  or  crushed,  or  which  can  transmit  heat  or  electricity, 
is  partly  body  and  partly  void.  Hence  body  cannot  be 
crushed,  and  "  therefore  first  beginnings  are  of  solid  single- 
ness, and  in  no  other  way  can  they  have  been  preserved 
through  ages  during  infinite  time  past,  in  order  to  repro- 
duce things." 

124.  Fifth.  If  there  be  no  limit  to  breakage,  nothing 
could  be  reproduced ;  for  reproduction  is  slower  than  decay, 
and  therefore  the  breaking  of  infinite  past  ages  would  have 
produced  a  state  of  things  incompatible  with  the  reproduc- 
tion of  any  thing  within  finite  time.  Hence  tJiere  exists  a 
least  in  things.  This  cannot  be  soft,  else  it  would  consist 
partly  of  void,  and  be  therefore  breakable. 

First  heginnings,  then,  are  strong  in  solid  singleness. 
Hence  the  unreason  of  those  who  held  fire  to  be  the  matter 
of  things,  for  what  surer  test  can  we  have  than  the  senses 
whereby  to  note  truth  and  falsehood  ? 

The  doctrine  called  that  of  Homosomeria  by  Anaxagoras 
is  folly — ^his  notion,  to  wit,  that  every  thing  is  made  up  of 
little  parts  the  same  as  itself — bones  of  little  bones,  flesh 
of  little  fleshes,  etc.  For  thus  corn  and  other  food,  which 
go  to  nourish  our  blood,  must  be  in  part  composed  of  blood, 
and  must  therefore  bleed  when  crushed  by  the  formidable 
force  of  the  millstone. 

125.  Sixth.  Are  the  atoms  infinite  in  number,  and  is 
the  void  in  which  they  move  unlimited  f  Both  questions 
are  answered  in  the  afiirmative,  but  the  proof  given  is  met- 
aphysical and  altogether  ridiculous,  though  it  contains  a 
fragmentary  passage  of  real  merit,  hinting  at  Le  Sage's  ex- 
planation (presently  to  be  given)  of  the  cause  of  gravity. 
One  illustration  of  it  must  suffice:     "E^ature  keeps  the 


92  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

sum  of  things  from  setting  any  limit  to  itself,  since  she 
compels  body  to  be  ended  by  void,  and  void  in  turn  by 
body ; "  so  that  either  by  the  alternation  of  the  two,  or 
by  the  infinite  extension  of  one  if  the  other  do  not  bound 
it,  immeasurable  space  must  be  filled.  If,  for  instance, 
body  were  finite,  and  void  infinite,  matter  would  in  a  very 
short  time  be  scattered  and  borne  along  in  the  mighty 
void ;  or,  rather,  could  never  have  been  brought  together. 

This  agrees  with  an  idea  which  is  propounded  in  the 
second  book,  as  to  the  velocity  which  the  atoms  have  given 
tliem  (he  does  not  say  how  or  whence),  and  which  enables 
them  to  cohere  for  a  time  and  then  to  break  up  again,  as 
every  thing  wanes.  Those  whose  close-tangled  shapes 
hold  them  fast  together  form  enduring  stone  and  unyield- 
ing iron  ;  others  spring  far  off  and  rebound,  leaving  great 
spaces  between  ;  "  these  furnish  us  with  thin  air  and  bright 
sunlight."  Shortly  afterward,  we  are  told  that  the  velocity 
of  the  first  beginnings  when  passing  through  empty  void 
must  be  greater  than  that  of  sunlight ! 

We  need  not  trouble  ourselves  here  with  Lucretius's 
speculations  as  to  the  formation  of  tangible  bodies  from  a 
vertical  down-pour  of  atoms,  v/hich,  unlike  drops  of  rain, 
now  and  then  swerve  from  their  courses  so  as  to  clash  to- 
gether, save  to  mention  that  he  affirms  that,  even  if  he  did 
not  know  what  atoms  are,  he  could  be  sure,  from  its  de- 
fects, that  the  world  was  not  made  for  us  by  divine  power. 

126.  Seventh.  This,  one  of  the  most  important  points 
of  the  wliole  theory,  is  entirely  ignored  by  some  good  com- 
mentators, and  hj  others  wbo  have  more  or  less  closely  fol- 
lowed them  :  The  first  hegiimhigs  of  things  have  different 
shapes,  hut  tlie  number  of  shapes  is  finite. 

127.  EiGPrrn.  The  first  leginnings  which  have  a  like 
shape,  one  with  another,  are  infinite  in  nurnher. 

That  is,  there  is  a  finite  number  of  kinds  of  atoms,  but 
an  infinite  number  of  each  kind. 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  93 

128.  !N"mTH.  Nothing  whose  nature  is  apparent  to  sense 
consists  of  one  hind  of  first  heginnings  (only). 

129.  We  need  not  trouble  ourselves  with  his  notion  of 
the  smallness,  smoothness,  and  roundness  of  the  atoms 
which  make  up  the  mind,  qualities  which  he  arrives  at 
from  the  rapidity  with  which  the  mind  originates  and  works 
out  a  suggestion,  contrasting  here  the  mobility  of  water 
and  the  viscosity  of  honey  ;  nor  his  proof  (by  the  non-dimi- 
nution of  the  weight  and  dimensions  of  the  body  at  death), 
that  the  whole  mass  of  the  mind  must  be  exceedingly 
small.  But  we  may  quote,  in  two  of  its  many  forms,  his 
constant  reiteration  of  the  unreasonableness  of  the  fear  of 
death,  and  his  philosophic  mode  of  overcoming  it : 

"  Some  wear  themselves  to  death  for  the  sake  of  stat- 
ues and  a  name.  And  often  to  such  a  degree,  through 
dread  of  death,  does  hate  of  life  and  of  the  sight  of  day- 
light seize  upon  mortals,  that  they  consider  self-murder  with 
a  sorrowing  heart,  quite  forgetting  that  this  fear  is  the 
source  of  their  cares  (this  fear  which  urges  men  to  every 
sin),  prompts  this  one  to  put  all  shame  to  rout,  another  to 
burst  asunder  the  bonds  of  friendship ;  and,  in  fine,  to 
overturn  duty  from  its  very  base,  since  often  ere  now  men 
have  betrayed  country  and  dear  parents  in  seeking  to  shun 
the  Acherusian  quarters.  For,  even  as  children  are  flurried 
and  dread  all  things  in  the  thick  darkness,  thus  we  in  the 
daylight  fear  at  times  things  not  a  whit  more  to  be  dreaded 
tTian  what  children  shudder  at  in  the  dark,  and  fancy  sure 
to  be.  This  terror,  therefore,  and  darkness  of  mind  must  be 
dispelled,  not  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  and  glittering  shafts  of 
day,  but  by  the  aspect  and  law  of  Nature."   (Book  III.,  Y8.) 

"  Now  no  more  shall  thy  house  admit  thee  with  glad 
welcome,  nor  a  most  virtuous  wife  and  sweet  children  run 
to  be  the  first  to  snatch  kisses,  and  touch  thy  heart  with 
silent  joy.  No  more  mayest  thou  be  prosperous  in  thy 
doings,  a  safeguard  to  thine  own.     One  disastrous  day  has 


94  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

taken  from  thee,  luckless  man,  in  luckless  wise,  all  the 
many  prizes  of  life.  This  do  men  say;  but  add  not 
thereto,  *  And  now  no  longer  does  any  craving  for  these 
things  beset  thee  withal.'  For  if  they  could  rightly  per- 
ceive this  in  thought,  and  follow  up  the  thought  in  words, 
they  would  release  themselves  from  great  distress  and  ap- 
prehension of  mind.  Thou,  even  as  now  thou  ai-t,  sunk  in 
the  sleep  of  death,  shalt  continue  so  to  be  in  all  time  to 
come,  freed  from  all  distressing  pains ;  but  we,  with  a 
sorrow  that  would  not  be  sated,  wept  for  thee,  when  close 
by  thou  didst  turn  to  an  ashen  hue  on  thy  appalling  fu- 
neral-pile, and  no  length  of  days  shall  pluck  from  our  hearts 
our  ever-enduring  grief.  This  question,  therefore,  should 
be  asked  of  this  speaker,  what  there  is  in  it  so  passing  bit- 
ter, if  it  come  in  the  end  to  sleep  and  rest,  that  any  one 
should  pine  in  never-ending  sorrow."     (Book  III.,  894.) 

130.  To  conclude,  there  is  a  great  deal  in  Lucretius 
(whether  his  own  or  derived  from  others  does  not  matter 
to  us)  which  is  of  considerable  value,  even  from  a  modern 
scientific  point  of  view,  though,  of  course,  of  far  greater 
value  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  student  of  develop- 
ment. But  his  attempted  proofs  are  for  the  most  part  ab- 
surd, based,  as  they  generally  are,  upon  mere  metaphysical 
speculations  and  altogether  preposterous  analogies. 

131.  (2.)  Boscovitch  and  others  endeavored  to  dispense 
with  the  atom  altogether,  substituting  in  its  place  the  con- 
ception (which  mathematicians  often  find  useful)  of  a  mere 
geometrical  point,  which  is  a  centre  of  force,  as  it  is  called. 
Here'  we  get  rid  of  the  idea  of  substance  entirely,  but  we 
preserve  (all  but  inertia)  those  external  relations  by  which 
alone  the  atom  is  capable  of  making  known  its  presence. 
Even  so  great  an  experimental  philosopher  as  Faraday  may 
be  quoted  as,  to  some  extent  at  least,  agreeing  with  this  . 
notion.  It  seems  to  us,  however,  that  this  is  the  embodi- 
ment of  an  over-refinement  of  speculation,  surrounded  on 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  95 

almost  all  sides  by  the  gravest  difficulties.  It  may  suffice 
merely  to  mention  again  the  property  of  mass,  or  inertia, 
which  Faraday  himself  seemed  to  look  upon  as  the  one  es- 
sential characteristic  of  matter,  and  which  we  can  haidly 
bring  ourselves  to  associate  with  the  absence  of  what  we 
understand  by  substance. 

132.  (3.)  Another  speculation  leads  us  to  imagine  mat- 
ter as  not  ultimately  atomic — as,  in  fact,  infinitely  divisible. 
But  if  it  be  so,  it  must  (in  order  that  various  elementary 
physical  facts  may  be  capable  of  explanation)  be  practically 
continuous  but  intensely  heterogeneous.  That  solid  or 
liquid  matter  has  a  grained  structure  of  not  infinitely 
small  dimensions  is  proved  by  many  simple  and  generally 
known  facts;  among  others  by  the  separation  of  white 
light  into  its  constituent  colors  when  refracted  through  a 
prism,  by  the  phenomena  of  capillarity,  and  by  those  of 
contact  electricity.  If  such  heterogeneity  were  only  pro- 
nounced enough,  it  appears  that  the  law  of  gravitation 
would  be  capable  of  accounting  for  at  least  the  greater 
number  of  effects  at  present  attributed  to  the  so-called 
molecular  forces  and  the  force  of  chemical  affinity.  Here, 
however,  we  are  met  by  the  grand  difficulty,  that  of  ac- 
counting for  gravitation.  And  tlie  only  attempt  at  ex- 
planation of  gravitation-attraction,  which  can  be  called 
even  plausible,  can  only,  with  very  great  straining,  be 
made  compatible  with  this  idea  of  the  nature  of  matter. 

133.  (4.)  The  fourth  and  most  recent  speculation  re- 
vives the  atom  (in  the  literal  sense  of  the  word),  but  not 
"  strong  in  solid  singleness "  like  those  contemplated  by 
Lucretius — much  rather  yielding  to  the  least  external  force, 
and  thus  escaping  from  the  knife  or  wriggling  round  it,  so 
that  it  cannot  be  cut — not,  however,  on  account  of  its  hard- 
ness, but  on  account  of  its  mobility,  which  makes  it  impos- 
sible for  the  knife  to  get  at  it. 

This  is  the  vortex-atom  theory  of  Sir  W.  Thomson, 


96  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

diinlj  foreshadowed  in  the  writings  of  Hobbes,  Male- 
branclie,  and  others,  but  only  made  distinctly  conceivable 
in  very  recent  times  by  the  hydrokinetic  researches  of 
Helmholtz.  Helmholtz,  in  1858,  first  successfully  attacked 
the  equations  of  motion  of  an  incompressible  frictionless 
fi.uid,  without  introducing  the  great  simplification  which 
had  been  adopted  by  his  predecessors,  and  which  consisted 
in  supposing  the  motion  to  be  non-rotational.  He  proved, 
among  other  valuable  results,  that  those  portions  of  the 
fluid  which  at  any  time  possess  rotation  preserve  it  for- 
ever, and  are  thus,  as  it  were,  marked  off  from  the  others ; 
also  that  these  portions  must  be  arranged  in  filaments 
whose  direction  is  at  each  point  the  axis  of  rotation,  and 
that  the  filaments  are  either  endless,  i.  e.,  form  close  curves 
(whether  knotted  or  not),  or  terminate  in  the  free  sm*face 
of  the  fluid. 

Hence  Sir  William  Thomson's  idea  that  what  we  call 
matter  may  consist  of  the  rotating  portions  of  a  perfect 
fluid,  which  continuously  fills  space.  This  definition  in- 
volves the  necessity  of  a  creative  act  for  the  production  or 
destruction  of  the  smallest  portion  of  matter,  because  rota- 
tion can  only  be  produced  or  destroyed  by  us  in  a  fluid  in 
virtue  of  its  viscosity  (or  internal  friction),  and  in  a  perfect 
fluid  there  is  nothing  of  the  kind. 

134.  Of  course  it  may  be  objected  to  this  theory  that  it 
merely  shifts  the  diflSculty  one  step  further  back — after  all, 
explaining  what  we  call  matter  by  certain  motions  of  some- 
thing which,  as  it  must  have  inertia,  it  would  appear  we 
are  bound  to  call  matter  also.  We  have  mentioned  this 
(latest)  speculation  as  to  the  nature  of  matter  for  two 
reasons :  first,  because  it  shows  one  way  of  at  once 
thoroughly  accounting  for  the  conservation  of  tangible 
matter;  second,  because  it  shows  the  possibility  of  forming 
an  idea  of  a  true  atom  which  shall  not  require,  even  for 
perfect  elasticity,  the  inconceivable  quality  of  perfect  hard- 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  97 

ness  necessary  to  the  atom  of  Lucretius.  In  fact,  the  few 
words  which  we  have  given  above  about  Helmholtz's  in- 
vestigations show  that,  to  cut  a  vortex-atom,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  give  a  free  surface  to  the  perfect  fluid  which 
on  this  theory  is  supposed  to  fill  space,  i.  e.,  virtually  to 
sever  space  itself  !  This  idea  promises  to  be  very  valuable 
from  one  point  of  view  at  least,  viz.,  the  extension  and 
improvement  of  mathematical  methods ;  for  in  its  very 
elements  it  requires  the  application  of  the  most  powerful 
of  hitherto  invented  processes,  and,  even  with  their  aid, 
the  mutual  action  of  two  ring-vortices  (the  simplest  possible 
space-form)  has  not  yet  been  investigated,  except  in  the 
special  cases  of  symmetrical  disposition  about  an  axis. 
Hence  we  are  at  present  altogether  unable  to  guess  wheth- 
er this  idea  will,  or  will  not,  pass  with  credit  some  of  the 
most  elementary  examinations  to  which  a  theory  of  the 
ultimate  nature  of  matter  must  of  course  be  subjected. 

135.  Take  them  for  what  they  are  worth.  The  four 
forms  of  speculation  we  have  just  sketched  represent  the 
most  plausible  guesses  yet  propounded  as  to  the  ultimate 
nature  of  matter,  the  second  being,  probably  because  the 
most  artificial  and  the  most  arbitrary,  the  most  completely 
developed.  For  in  it  the  representation  is  self-contained, 
as  it  were ;  it  does  not  base  itself  upon  extraneous  postu- 
lates, as  of  ultimate  hard  particles  (of  what  ?),  nor  upon 
vortex  motion  (of  what  ?  again),  nor,  finally,  upon  mere 
intense  heterogeneity  (of  what?  once  more),  as  do  the 
other  three.  But  we  naturally  object  to  it  as  refining 
away  altogether  the  idea  of  stuff  or  substance  which  the 
mind  seems  to  require  as  something  underlying  the  notion 
of  any  thing  which  is  found  to  be  directly  capable  of  af- 
fecting our  senses. 

136.  The  reader  who  has  followed  us  so  far,  must  now 
see  that  our  notions  of  the  nature  of  matter  are,  at  best,  but 
hazy.     We  know",  it  is  true,  a  great  many  of  its  properties 

5 


98  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

very  exactly,  so  much  so  indeed,  as  to  be  able  to  deduce 
from  tliem  mathematically  an  immense  variety  of  conse- 
quences which  subsequent  experiment  shows  to  be  correct, 
at  least  within  the  limits  of  accuracy  of  our  methods  of 
observation  and  measurement.  But  as  to  what  it  is  we 
know  no  more  than  Democritus  or  Lucretius  did,  though 
as  to  what  it  may  be  or  may  not  be  we  are  perhaps  consid- 
erably better  prepared  with  an  opinion  than  they  could 
possibly  be. 

137.  We  have  seen  in  the  preceding  chapter  that  ener- 
gy is  never  found  separate  from  matter,  so  that  we  might, 
with  perfect  propriety,  define  matter  as  the  seat  or  vehicle 
of  energy — that  which  is  essential  to  the  existence  of  the 
known  forms  of*  energy,  without  which,  therefore,  there 
could  be  no  transformations  of  energy,  and  therefore  no 
life  such  as  we  now  know  it. 

138.  IS^ow  the  transformability  of  a  given  amount  of 
energy,  or,  at  least,  the  modes  of  its  transformation,  de- 
pend in  a  very  curious  manner  upon  the  relative  quantity 
of  matter  with  which  it  is  associated.  A  pillow  or  bolster 
(stuffed  with  eider-down,  let  us  say)  of  thirty  pounds 
weight,  and  moving  at  ten  feet  per  second — i.  e.,  as  if  it 
had  fallen  from  a  height  of  considerably  less  than  two  feet 
— has  nearly  the  same  energy  as  a  pellet  of  l^o.  1  shot 
when  it  leaves  the  muzzle  of  a  fowling-piece.  How  dif- 
ferent the  quality  of  these  equal  quantities  even  of  energy 
of  the  same  kind !  Yet,  delivered  horizontally,  the  one 
would  correspond  to  a  staggering  push  which  few  men 
could  resist  if  it  came  unexpectedly;  while  the  other 
would  scarcely  affect  one's  equilibrium,  though  it  might 
easily  kill  by  penetrating  a  vital  organ.  [In  the  brutal 
pastimes  of  the  last  generation,  as  we  now  in  our  advanced 
humanitarian  ism  call  them,  this  was  well  known  as  the 
difference  between  the  effects  of  a  slow  knock-down  blow 
by  a  heavy-weight,  and  a  "  punishing  facer  "  from  a  feather- 


MATTER  AND  ETHER,  99 

weight.  Alas  for  the  good  old  times !  for  our  comparison, 
apt  as  it  is,  is  too  probably  thrown  away  on  the  degenerate 
inhabitants  of  (once)  merry  England,  erewhile  the  home  of 
the  "Miller,"  with  his  honest  quarterstaff,  of  jolly  and 
chivalrous  wrestlers,  boxers,  and  bowmen,  now  the  hell  of 
running-kicks,  garroting,  gouging,  and  stabbing. 

"  Aetas  parentuin,  pejor  avis,  tulit 
nos  nequiores,  mox  daturos 

progeniem  vitiosiorem." 

The  dissipation  of  energy  is  a  great  fact  in  a  moral  as  well 
as  in  a  physical  sense.  In  those  good  old  times  men  fought 
with  men — irrepressible  energy,  rather  than  any  sordid 
passion  or  uncontrolled  vice,  constantly  pulling  the  trigger ! 
Wow  creatures  in  the  likeness  of  men  vent  their  despicable 
passions  in  murderous  assaults  upon  women  and  children. 
But  science  hints  at  an  effectual  cure.  It  is  probable  that 
before  many  years  have  passed,  electricity,  which  by  some 
mysterious  means  enables  our  nerves  to  call  our  muscle? 
into  play,  which  enables  us  to  converse  with  one  anothei 
at  distances  of  thousands  of  miles,  which  alike  plates  the 
teaspoon  and  illumines  the  light-house,  will  be  called  upon 
by  an  enlightened  legislature  to  produce  absolutely  inde- 
scribable torture  (unaccompanied  by  wound  or  even  bruise), 
thrilling  through  every  fibre  of  the  frame  of  such  mis- 
creants.] 

139.  After  inertia,  which  is  not  accounted  for  by  any  of 
the  hypotheses  as  to  the  ultimate  nature  of  matter  which 
we  have  just  given,  the  most  general  property  of  matter 
which  we  recognize  is  that  of  universal  gravitation,  in  vir- 
tue of  which  portions  of  matter,  if  situated  at  a  distance 
from  one  another,  are  possessed  of  potential  energy.  We 
are  apt  to  hold  exaggerated  notions  of  the  immense  power 
of  gravity ;  but  a  little  consideration  will  show  us  that  it 
is  in  reality  one  of  the  most  trivial  of  the  forces  to  which 
matter  is  directly  or  indirectly  subject. 


100  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

Think  for  a  moment  of  the  'fundamental  experiments 
in  electricity  and  magnetism,  known  to  men  for  far  more 
than  2,000  years — the  lifting  of  light  bodies  in  general  by 
rubbed  amber,  and  of  iron  tilings  by  a  loadstone.  To  pro- 
duce the  same  effects  by  gravitation-attraction — at  least  if 
the  attracting  body  had  the  moderate  dimensions  of  a 
hand-specimen  of  amber  or  loadstone — we  should  require 
it  to  be  of  so  dense  a  material  as  to  weigh  at  the  very  least 
1,000,000,000  pounds,  instead  of  (as  usual)  a  mere  fraction 
of  a  ponnd.  Hence  it  is  at  once  obvious  that  the  imposing 
nature  of  the  force  of  gravity,  as  usually  compared  with 
other  attractive  forces,  is  due  not  to  its  superior  qualitative 
magnitude,  but  to  the  enormous  masses  of  the  bodies 
w^liich  exercise  it. 

In  fact,  the  excessively  delicate  Torsion-balance  of 
Michell  w^as  absolutely  requisite  to  demonstrate,  much 
more  to  measure,  the  mutual  attraction  between  a  large 
and  a  small  leaden  sphere.  And  (unless  the  third  of  the 
hypotheses  as  to  the  nature  of  matter  above  given  be  cor- 
rect, in  which  case  iheformoi  our  statement  would  require 
modification)  small  or  even  moderately  large  pieces  of 
matter  are  held  together  entirely  by  cohesion,  gravitation 
being  absolutely  insensible ;  though  in  a  huge  mass  like 
the  earth  the  force  exerted  by  one  hemisphere  on  the 
other  (i.  e.,  the  force  which  would  be  called  into  play  to 
prevent  its  being  split  in  two)  depends  mainly  upon  gravi- 
tation, in  comparison  with  whose  enormous  amount  even  a 
cohesive  force  of  500  pounds  per  square  inch  over  a  circu- 
lar surface  of  4,000  miles  radius  sinks  into  utter  insignifi- 
cance ! 

140.  One  only  of  the  many  hypotheses  which  have 
been  advanced  to  explain  the  cause  of  gravitation  has  suc- 
ceeded in  J  assing  the  first  preliminary  tests.  Of  course, 
the  assumption  of  action  at  a  distance  may  be  made  to  ac- 
count for  any  thing;  but  it  is  impossible  (as  Kewton  long 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  101 

ago  pointed  out  in  Ms  celebrated  letters  to  Bentley)  for 
any  one  "  who  has  in  philosophical  matters  a  competent 
faculty  of  thinking  "  for  a  moment  to  admit  the  possibility 
of  such  action. 

Hence  we  have  but  two  ways  of  accounting  for  gravi- 
tation :  either  it  is  due  to  differences  of  pressm-e  in  a  sub- 
stance continuously  filling  all  space,  except  where  matter 
displaces  it  (?),  or  it  is  due  to  impacts,  in  some  respects 
analogous  to  those  of  the  particles  of  a  gas  which  have 
been  found  to  be  capable  of  accounting  for  gaseous  press- 
ure. 

I^ow,  all  attempts  as  yet  made  to  connect  it  with  the 
luminiferous  ether,  or  the  medium  required  to  explain 
electric  and  magnetic  distance  -  action,  have  completely 
failed;  so  that  we  are  apparently  driven  to  the  impact 
theory  as  the  only  tenable  one. 

141.  To  this  theory  Le  Sage,  of  Geneva,  devoted  a 
singularly  acute  mind  during  the  whole  of  his  exception- 
ally long  life ;  but,  for  all  that,  his  posthumous  tract  on 
the  subject  is  but  little  in  advance  of  the*  results  he  had 
arrived  at  in  his  eighteenth  year. 

He  assumes  the  existence  of  ultra-mundane  corpuscles ; 
in  infinite  numbers,  even  compared  with'  those  of  the  par- 
ticles of  matter ;  of  dimensions  excessively  small,  but  fly- 
ing about  in  all  directions  with  velocities  enormously  great. 
Portions  of  gross  matter  virtually  screen  one  another  to  a 
certain  extent  from  the  pressure  due  to  this  perpetual  rain 
of  corpuscles,  but  only  on  the  sides  turned  toward  one  an- 
other. Hence  a  lone  body  would  be  equally  battered  on 
all  sides  ;  but  the  introduction  of  a  second  mass  interferes 
with  this  arrangement,  and  diminishes  the  pressure  on  the 
side  next  it.  It  is  easy  to  show  that  the  amount  of  this 
diminution,  for  given  small  masses,  is  inversely  as  the 
square  of  their  relative  distance.  But,  when  larger  masses 
are  taken  account  of,  this  diminution  of  pressure  will  not 


102  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

be  (as  gravity  is)  directly  as  the  quantities  of  matter  pres- 
ent, unless  the  further  assumption  is  made  that  matter, 
whether  by  the  great  distance  between  its  particles,  or  by 
the  cage-like  form  of  these  particles,  is  almost  perfectly 
permeable  to  the  corpuscles ;  so  that,  practically,  the  cor- 
puscles rain  upon  the  interior  particles  of  a  mass  as  freely 
as  if  each  of  them  had  been  alone  in  space. 

Some  of  the  postulates  of  this  theory  are  hard  to  grant, 
and  there  is  additional  difficulty  as  to  the  mode  in  which 
the  supply  of  energy  of  the  corpuscles  is  to  be  kept  up. 
To  enter  into  details  on  this  subject  is  not  in  accordance 
with  our  plan.  We  therefore  refer  the  reader  to  Sir  W. 
Thomson's  account  of  Le  Sage's  theory  (Proc.  E.  S.  E., 
1871),  and  his  suggestions  for  its  improvement,  based  upon 
his  theory  of  vortex-atoms. 

142.  But  we  must  make  one  remark.  If  Le  Sage's 
theory,  or  any  thing  of  a  similar  nature,  be  at  all  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  mechanism  of  gravitation,  a  fatal  blow  is 
dealt  to  the  notion  of  the  tranquil  form  of  power  we  have 
called  jpoteiitial  energy.  ]^ot  that  there  will  cease  to  be 
a  profound  difference  in  kind  between  it  and  ordinary 
kinetic  energy ;  but  that  both  will  be  henceforth  to  be  re- 
garded as  kinetic.  What  we  now  call  kinetic  energy  is 
that  of  visible  motions,  also  of  motions  of  the  smaller 
parts  of  bodies,  and  of  the  luminiferous  ether,  etc.,  each 
of  these  being  more  refined,  as  it  were,  than  the  preceding. 
But,  if  Le  Sage's  theory  be  true,  potential  energy  of  gravi- 
tation is  a  kinetic  form  still  further  refined  than  any  of 
these.  And  the  conservation  of  energy  may,  perhaps, 
once  more  be  completely  and  accurately  expressed  as  the 
conservation  of  vis  viva,  though  the  term  will,  of  course, 
have  then  a  meaning  incomparably  more  extensive  than  its 
original  one'. 

Ii3.  But,  in  speculations  like  these,  we  have  soared  far 
beyond  that  which  may  be  called  the  first  refinement  on 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  103 

ordinary  gross  matter ;  i.  e.,  the  luminiferous,  probably  also 
the  electric  and  magnetic,  mediuna,  provisionally  the  Ether. 

To  the  consideration  of  its  principal  properties  we  now 
turn  our  attention. 

These  are,  at  first  sight  at  least,  of  an  apparently  incon- 
gruous character ;  for,  from  one  point  of  view,  the  ether 
appears  as  a  fluid,  from  another  as  an  elastic  solid.  IN^othing 
is  more  certainly  established  in  physical  astronomy  than 
the  excessive  minuteness  of  the  resistance  offered  by  the 
ether  to  the  planetary  motions,  if,  indeed,  there  be  such  a 
resistance  at  all  appreciable,  even  when  these  motions  are, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  earth,  somewhere  about  100,000  feet 
per  second  !  On  the  other  hand,  we  learn  from  physical 
optics  that  light,  transmitted  with  a  velocity  of  188,000 
miles  per  second,  depends  upon  transverse  disturbances  of 
some  kind  or  other ;  while  several  optical  phenomena  in- 
dicate that  a  disturbance  of  the  nature  of  compression  (if 
such  be  possible)  would  be  transmitted  with  velocity  almost 
infinitely  great,  in  comparison  even  with  this  enormous 
velocity. 

144.  Stokes,  however,  has  given  a  very  ingenious  illus- 
tration which  enables  us  to  see  that  such  an  extraordinary 
combination  of  apparently  irreconcilable  properties  is  by 
no  means  without  analogy,  even  in  common  matter.  He 
takes  the  case  of  a  solution  of  glue,  or  isinglass,  or  jelly,  in 
different  relative  amounts  of  water.  When  the  quantity 
of  water  is  small,  we  have  the  elastic  solid  ;  when  large,  a 
liquid  little  different  from  water.  And  Stokes  shows  that 
it  is  excessively  improbable  that  there  is  any  definite  inter- 
mediate stage  which  we  could  assign  as  that  at  which  the 
transition  from  the  solid  to  the  liqaid  takes  place.  Of 
course,  any  such  analogy  must  necessarily  be  excessively 
imperfect ;  but  a  great  deal  is  gained  by  our  being  able  to 
trace  even  a  very  imperfect  analogy  in  a  case  like  this. 

145.  The  ether,  in  fact,  must  be  distorted  as  well  as 


104  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

displaced  by  matter  passing  tlirougli  it ;  but  any  distortion 
of  the  nature  of  a  shear,  such  as  would  give  rise  in  water 
to  vortex-motion  accompanied  by  friction  (the  whole  ener- 
gy being  thus  ultimately  frittered  down  into  heat),  would 
in  the  ether  be  handed  on  at  once,  as  vibratory  motion,  with 
the  velocity  of  light.  Thus  vortex-motion  of  the  ether 
may  be  conceived  to  be  impossible,  simply  in  consequence 
of  the  minuteness  of  its  density  in  comparison  with  the 
great  tangential  force  called  into  play  by  a  shear ;  and  a 
body  moving  in  it  with  a  velocity  not  so  great  as  that  of 
light  would  thus  not  have  eddies  in  its  wake,  as  in  an  or- 
dinary fluid,  but,  on  the  contrary,  would  be  a  source  of 
radiation,  even  although  there  may  have  been  no  heating 
either  of  the  body  or  of  the  medium  it  is  displacing,  para- 
doxical as  this  result  may  appear. 

146.  Sir  William  Thomson  has  endeavored  to  obtain  at 
least  an  inferior  limit  to  the  density  of  the  ether  in  plane- 
tary space.  His  methpd  is  based  upon  the  measurements 
by  Pouillet  and  Herschel  of  the  whole  amount  of  radiant 
energy  received  from  the  sun  by  a  given  amount  of  surface 
in  a  given  time,  and  upon  an  assumption  that  the  extreme 
amplitude  of  distortion  of  the  ether  in  any  radiation  is 
small  compared  with  the  length  of  a  wave.  In  this  way 
he  finds  that,  as  a  cubic  mile  of  the  ether  near  the  earth 
contains  about  12,000  foot-pounds  of  radiant  solar  energy, 
the  mass  of  the  ether  in  that  cubic  mile  must  be  at  least 
T.irinr.^oir.Ti  oir  ^^  ^  pound.^  To  show  that  this  is  not  by  any 
means  a  surprisingly  small  quantity,  he  compares  it  with 
the  mass  of.  a  cubic  mile  of  air  at  a  distance  of  only  a  few 
radii  from  the  earth's  surface  (supposing  that  the  atmos- 
phere extends  so  far).  This,  he  finds,  will  be  probably 
represented  by  a  fraction  of  a  pound  having  unit  for  a  nu- 
merator and  329  places  of  figures  in  the  denominator !  ! ! 

'  Here  it  is  important  to  obsei*ve  that  the  speculations  of  Sir  W.  Thomson 
with  regard  to  the  density  of  the  ether  assign  only.th3  inferior  limit  of  that 
density.     The  real  density  may  possibly  be  very  much  greater. 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  105 

147.  In  a  very  remarkable  paper  by  Struve/  an  attempt 
was  made  to  settle  the  question,  Is  tlie  ether  joerfecUy  trans- 
parent?  or,  as  we  may  now  put  it,  Is  any  radiant  energy 
absorbed  by  the  ether,  whether  to  produce  other  forms  of 
energy,  or  to  be  dissipated  by  radiation  in  all  directions  ? 
Long  ago  it  had  been  pointed  out  by  Olbers  and  others, 
that  if  the  stars  be  infinite  in  number,  and  be  distributed 
with  any  thing  roughly  approximating  to  an  average  densi- 
ty through  infinite  space,  the  sky  ought,  night  and  day,  to 
be  all  over  of  a  brightness  of  the  same  order  as  that  of  the 
sun.  Is  the  number  of  stars,  then,  finite ;  or  does  the  ether 
absorb  their  light  ?  ]^ow,  it  need  not  in  the  least  surprise 
us  to  find  that  the  number  of  stars  is  finite^  even  though 
matter  be  infinite  in  quantity,  and  distributed  with  some- 
thing like  uniformity  through  infinite  space.  For  only  a 
finite  portion  of  it  may  yet  liave  fallen  together  so  as  to 
produce  incandescent  bodies ;  or,  the  other  extreme,  only 
a.  finite  portion  of  it  may  be  left  incandescent.  Either  of 
these  altogether  dififerent  hypotheses  is  perfectly  reasonable 
and  scientifically  justifiable;  so  that,  from  this  point  of 
view,  we  are  not  at  present  likely  to  obtain  any  informa- 
tion. Struve's  reasoning,  which,  by-the-way,  is  not  accept- 
ed by  Sir  J.  Herschel,  introduces  another  consideration, 
viz.,  the  numljers  of  stars  of  each  visible  magnitude.  To 
apply  this  :  suppose  for  a  moment  we  make  the  assumption 
(actually  measured  values  of  annual  parallax  show  it  is  cer- 
tainly at  best  a  very  rough  one)  that  the  brighter  stars  are 
the  nearer,  and  that  a  set  of  stars,  on  the  average  one-fourth 
as  bright  as  another  set,  are,  on  the  average,  twice  as  far 
off,  etc.  A  great  deal  of  what  we  know  to  be  certainly 
false,  is  here  assumed  as  true,  but  it  is  possible  that  the 
general  accuracy  of  the  results  of  the  reasoning  from  it  may 
not  be  thereby  much  affected.  On  the  supposition  of  a 
sort  of  rough  uniformity  of  distribution  through  space,  we 

1  "Etudes  d'Astronomie  Stellaire,"  1847. 


106  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

can  easily  calculate  approximately  what  ought  to  be  the 
relative  numbers  of  the  stars,  classed  by  astronomers  as  of 
the  various  different  magnitudes,  once  we  have  obtained  (as 
it  is  not  difficult  to  do)  an  estimate  of  the  relative  bright- 
ness of  typical  stars  of  these  (arbitrary)  magnitudes.  From 
their  brightness  we  calculate  at  once  their  relative  distances, 
and  thence  (according  to  our  hypothesis  of  approximately 
unifonn  distribution)  what  ought  to  be  the  relative  numbers 
of  each  magnitude.  When  this  is  done,  it  appears  that 
there  is  a  great  excess  of  the  calculated  over  the  observed 
numbers,  at  least  for  telescopic  stars,  and  the  greater  the 
smaller  the  magnitude.  This  is  the  gist  of  Struve's  meth- 
od, and  he  arrives  at  the  result  that  the  light  of  stars  of  the 
sixth  magnitude  (the  smallest  visible  to  an  ordinary  unaid- 
ed eye,  and  whose  average  distance  from  us  is  supposed  to 
be  somewhere  about  ninefold  that  of  stars  of  the  first  mag- 
nitude) loses  about  eight  per  cent,  in  its  passage  to  the 
earth.  Thus  the  light  of  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  does 
not  lose  so  much  as  one  per  cent. ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
stars  of  the  ninth  magnitude  are  enfeebled  to  the  extent 
of  about  thirty  per  cent.  Struve  shows  that,  if  his  result 
is  to  be  accepted,  W.  Herschel's  idea  that  his  forty-foot 
telescope  would  show  him  stars  seven  times  farther  off 
than  those  visible  with  the  ten-foot,  was  erroneous.  He 
would,  in  fact,  have  been  able  to  see  little  more  than  twice 
as  far. 

It  will  be  obvious  now  that  an  enormous  increase  of 
the  so-called  space-penei/rating  power  of  a  telescope  gives 
it  in  reality  but  a  very  feeble  additional  advantage  ;  in  fact, 
that,  if  there  be  absorption  by  the  ether,  we  have  already 
instruments  capable  of  showing  us,  at  the  very  least,  half 
of  the  whole  number  of  stars  which  any  conceivable  im- 
provement of  telescopes  would  enable  us  to  see. 

148.  It  would  be  out  of  place  here  to  speculate  on 
what  becomes  of  the  light  thus  supposed  to  be  absorbed, 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  107 

for  we  have  as  yet  no  experimental  basis  on  which  to  rea- 
son. We  have  not  the  least  idea,  for  instance,  what  is  the 
effect  of  change  of  temperature  in  the  Inminiferous  ether. 
That  it  is  practically  incompressible  we  know  ;  it  is  quite 
probable  that  it  may  not  be  sensibly  compressed  (if  it  be 
subject  to  gravity,  of  which  we  have  no  proof)  even  by  the 
attraction  of  the  mass  of  the  w^hole  earth — though,  so 
great  is  the  intensity  of  molecular  or  cohesive  attraction, 
we  may  easily  conceive  that,  in  the  interior  of  bodies,  the 
ether  may  be  considerably  compressed.  And  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  the  ether,  as  a  whole,  may  have,  in  virtue  of 
its  internal  forces,  a  property  (akin,  as  it  were,  to  a  liquid 
film)  such  that  the  gravitation-action,  which  appears  to  be 
between  particles  of  matter,  may  merely  be  the  visible  re- 
sult of  a  tendency  to  a  minimum  of  some  affection  of  the 
fluid  in  which  they  are  immersed.  Regard  it  as  we  please, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  properties  of  the  ether  are 
of  a  much  higher  order  in  the  arcana  of  l^ature  than  those 
of  tangible  matter.  And  as  even  the  high-priests  of  sci- 
ence still  find  the  latter  far  beyond  their  comprehension, 
except  in  numerous  but  minute  and  often  isolated  par- 
ticulars, it  would  not  become  us  to  speculate  further.  It  is 
sufficient  for  our  purpose  to  know  from  what  the  ether 
certainly  does  that  it  is  capable  of  vastly  more  than  any 
one  has  yet  ventured  to  guess. 

149.  If  we  review  the  attempts  recorded  in  this  chap- 
ter, we  see  how  the  scientific  mind  is  led  from  the  visible 
and  tangible  to  the  invisible  and  intangible. 

In  the  first  place,  we  know  that  one  body,  such  as  the 
sun,  can  part  with  its  radiant  energy  to  another  body,  such 
as  the  earth,  and  observation  and  experiment  alike  lead  us 
to  acknowledge  a  stage  in  which  the  energy  has  left  the 
one  body  and  has  not  yet  arrived  at  the  other.  But  this 
means  that  there  is  something  between  these  two  bodies 
capable  of  moving  and  transmitting  energy,  and  therefore, 


108  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

from  the  very  conception  of  energy,  possessing  mass — this 
something  we  agree  to  call  the  ethereal  medium. 

Again,  we  know  that  different  masses  of  visible  matter 
attract  one  another  apparently  at  a  distance.  Our  first  at- 
tempt is  to  analyze  the  nature  of  this  force.  Does  it  pro- 
ceed from  the  surfaces  of  the  attracting  bodies,  or  does  it 
penetrate  their  entire  mass  ?  This  question  was  answered 
by  Newton,  who  came  to  the  conclusion  that  every  particle 
of  matter  attracts  every  other  particle  with  a  force  propor- 
tional to  the  product  of  its  mass,  and  inversely  propor- 
tional to  the  square  of  its  distance. 

But  this  only  drives  the  mystery  of  gravitation  from 
the  mass  to  the  particle,  and  here  the  same  set  of  ques- 
tions again  occur.  A  particle  as  truly  as  a  mass  occupies 
space,  and  we  wish  to  know  if  the  force  proceeds  from 
the  surface  of  the  particle,  or  from  its  interior. 

160.  Then,  again,  we  likewise  wish  to  know  how  this 
force  is  communicated  between  one  particle  and  another. 
Now,  before  we  can  solve  these  questions  we  must  have 
some  definite  conception  of  the  nature  of  a  particle  and  of 
the  constitution  of  the  surrounding  medium.  Sir  W! 
Thomson,  as  we  have  seen,  has  attempted  to  advance  tow- 
ard the  nature  of  an  atom  or  particle  in  his  supposition 
that  atoms  are  vortex-rings  generated  out  of  a  perfect  fluid 
filling  all  space.  While,  however,  this  conception  accounts 
for  some  of  the  properties  of  an  atom,  it  does  not  easily 
account  for  gravitation,  and  hence  he  adopts  in  addition 
the  hypothesis  of  ultra-mundane  corpuscles,  which  he  sup- 
poses to  be  only  a  finer  form  of  vortices. 

.  151.  There  is,  however,  one  objection  to  the  precise  form 
of  vortex-ring  hypothesis  introduced  by  Thomson,  which 
from  our  point  of  view  is  veiy  strong.  The  act  by  which 
the  atom  was  produced  must  necessarily  by  this  hypothesis 
have  been  an  act  of  creation  (Art.  133)  in  time,  that  is  to 
say,  an  act  impressed  upon  the  universe  from  without,  and 


MATTER  AND  ETHER.  109 

it  must  therefore  have  denoted  a  breach  of  continuity 
(Art.  85) ;  for  if  the  invisible  universe  be  nothing  but  a 
perfect  fluid,  can  we  imagine  it  capable  of  originating  such 
a  development  in  virtue  of  its  own  inherent  properties, 
and  without  some  external  act  implying  a  breach  of  con- 
tinuity ? — w^e  think  not.  In  the  production  of  the  atom 
from  a  perfect  fluid  we  are  driven  at  once  to  the  uncon- 
ditioned— to  the  Great  First  Cause  ;  it  is,  in  fine,  an  act  of 
creation,  and  not  of  development.  But  from  our  point  of 
view  (Art.  86)  creation  belongs  to  eternity,  and  develop- 
ment to  time,  and  we  are  therefore  induced  to  modify  the 
hypothesis  so  as  to  make  it  consistent  with  this  view.  We 
cannot,  in  fact,  if  we  agree  to  hold  at  the  same  time  the 
principle  of  unbroken  continuity  and  the  vortex-ring  theory 
of  formation  of  the  visible  universe,  regard  the  invisible 
universe  as  an  absolutely  perfect  fluid. 

152.  This  way  of  regarding  the  invisible  universe  is 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  hypothesis  which  seems 
most  hkely  to  account  for  gravitation  presumes  the  exist- 
ence of  ultra-mundane  corpuscles,  and  the  observations  of 
Struve  upon  the  extinction  of  starlight  tend  (whatever 
they  are  worth)  toward  the  same  conclusion,  since  the  ab- 
sorption of  light  is  more  compatible  with  a  corpuscular 
constitution  than  with  that  of  a  perfect  fluid.  But  if  the 
visible  universe  be  developed  from  an  invisible,  which  is 
not  a  perfect  fluid,  then  the  argument  deduced  by  Sir  W. 
Thomson  in  favor  of  the  eternity  of  ordinary  matter  dis- 
appears, since  this  eternity  depends  upon  the  perfect  fluid- 
ity of  the  invisible.  In  fine,  if  we  suppose  the  material 
universe  to  be  composed  of  a  series  of  vortex-rings  de- 
veloped from  an  invisible  universe  which  is  not  a  perfect 
fluid,  it  will  be  ephemeral,  just  as  the  smoke-ring  which 
we  develop  from  air,  or  that  which  we  develop  from  water, 
is  ephemeral,  the  only  difference  being  in  duration,  these 


110  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

lasting  only  for  a  few  seconds,  and  the  others,  it  may  be, 
for  billions  of  ye'ars.-,  ' 

153..  Thus,  in  our  last  chapter,  we  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  available  energy  of  the  visible  universe  will 
ultimately  be  appropriated  by  the  invisible,  and  we  may 
now  perhaps  imagine,  at  least  as  a  possibility,  that  the 
separate  existence  of  the  visible  universe  will  share  the 
same  fate,  so  that  we  shall  have  no  huge,  useless,  inert 
mass  existing  in  after-ages  to  remind  the  passer-by  of  a 
form  of  energy,  and  a  species  of  matter,  that  are  long  since 
out  of  date,  and  functionally  effete.  Why  should  not  the 
universe  bury  its  dead  out  of  sight  ? 


CHAPTER  Y. 

DE VELOPM  ENT. 

"  Are  God  and  Nature  then  at  strife, 

That  Nature  lends  such  evil  dreams  ? 
So  careful  of  the  type  she  seems, 
So  careless  of  the  single  life ; 

"  '  So  careful  of  the  type  ?  '  but  no, 

From  scarped  cliff  and  quarried  stone 
She  cries,  *  A  thousand  types  are  gone, 
I  care  for  nothing,  all  shall  go.'  " — Tennyson. 

"  All  Nature  is  hut  art,   unknown  to  thee  ; 
All  chance,  direction,  which  thou  canst  not  see. 
All  discord,  harmony  not  understood  ; 
All  partial  evil,  universal  good  ; 
And  spite  of  pride,  in  er  ring  reason's  spite. 
One  truth  is  clear,  whatever  is,  is  right." — Pope. 

154.  In  Chapters  III.  and  TV.  we  have  dwelt  upon 
the  laws  of  energy  and  the  ultimate  constitution  of  matter ; 
in  other  words,  we  have  discussed  those  laws  according  to 
which  the  machine  called  the  visible  universe  works,  as 
well  as  the  probable  nature  of  that  material  of  which  it  is 
composed.  We  have  in  this  process  (Arts.  86,  151)  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  visible  universe  has  been  devel- 
oped out  of  the  invisible.  Once  developed,  it  has  its  own 
laws  of  action  which  we  may  discover — laws  which  at 
present  appear  to  be  invariably  followed,  as  far  at  least  as 
our  strictly  scientific  experience  can  inform  us. 


112  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

In  fine,  the  visible  universe  is  that  which  we  are  in  a 
position  to  observe,  gaining  an  insight  into  its  present 
method  of  working,  and  trying  also  to  reply  to  that  very 
interesting  question,  Has  it  always  worked  in  its  present 
manner,  or  has  there  ever  been  any  apparent  break  ? 

Let  us,  therefore,  take  this  visible  universe  after  its 
production,  and  endeavor  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
course  of  its  development.  What  did  it  do  ?  Was  it  en- 
tirely left  to  itself,  and  to  what  may  be  termed  the  natural 
laws  impressed  upon  it  when  it  was  produced  ? 

In  replying  to  these  questions,  let  us,  for  the  sake  of 
convenience,  consider  development  under  the  three  follow- 
ing heads,  viz. :  (a).  Chemical  or  Stuff  Development ;  (/3), 
Globe  Development ;  (7),  Life  Development. 

155.  To  begin  with  chemical  or  stuff  development,  we 
come  at  once  to  a  very  interesting  and  important  ques- 
tion. Assuming  that  the  atoms  of  the  present  universe 
were  developed  from  the  invisible,  were  different  kinds  of 
atoms  thus  developed,  or  were  they  all  of  one  kind  ? 

To  this  question  the  chemist  of  last  century  would  have 
replied :  Undoubtedly  there  were  many  kinds  of  primeval 
atoms,  and  then  would  follow  a  list  of  all  these  various 
substances  which  he  was  unable  to  decompose. 

The  chemist  of  thirty  or  forty  years  later  would  still 
reply  to  the  question  in  the  same  way,  but  he  would  prob- 
ably have  a  different  list  of  primeval  elements  less  formi- 
dable in  number. 

If  the  chemist  of  forty  years  ago  were  asked,  he  would 
have  furnished  a  list  of  perhaps  fifty  simple  substances ; 
but  then,  probably,  the  minimum  would  have  been  reached ; 
for  ask  the  chemist  of  to-day,  and  he  will  furnish  a  list  of 
sixty-three  elements. 

156.  But  while  the  number  of  undecomposed  bodies  is 
slowly  increasing,  chemists  are  beginning  to  speculate  as 
to  the  possibility  of  these  so-called  elements  being  in  real- 


DEVELOPMENT.  113 

it  J  nothing  else  than  combinations  of  some  kind  of  primor- 
dial atoms. 

This  idea  was  first  entertained  by  Dr.  Front,  the  well- 
known  physician  and  chemist.  He  pointed  out  that  the 
atomic  weights  of  the  various  so-called  elements  are  very 
nearly  all  multiples  of  that  of  the  half  of  hydrogen,  so 
that  they  may  possibly  be  looked  upon  as  formed  by  a 
grouping  together  of  certain  atoms  of  half  the  mass  of  the 
hydrogen-atom. 

M.  Stas,  the  distinguished  Belgian  chemist,  instituted  a 
laborious  series  of  experiments  with  the  view  of  testing  this 
doctrine.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  atomic 
weights  of  the  various  elements  were  not  precisely  multi- 
ples of  that  of  the  half  of  hydrogen,  there  being  greater 
differences  than  could  possibly  be  accounted  for  by  errors 
of  experiment.  His  researches,  however,  seemed  to  show 
that  in  many  cases  there  was  a  very  near  approach  to 
Prout's  imagined  law.  But  in  no  case  does  the  discrepance 
appear  greatly  to  exceed  what  may  easily  be  attributed  to 
unavoidable  impurities  in  the  substances  operated  on  ;  say 
only  those  due  to  the  condensation  of  gases  in  the  pores  of 
solids,  which  (in  certain  cases  at  least)  is  known  to  amount 
to  a  very  considerable  quantity. 

157.  From  another  point  of  view,  there  appears  to  be 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  so-called  elementary  bodies  being 
built  up. 

There  are  certain  groups  or  families  among  these  ele- 
ments of  such  a  nature  that  the  various  members  of  one 
family  appear  to  be  related  to  each  other,  in  the  same  way 
as  the  corresponding  members  of  another  family. 

This  clearly  points  to  some  sort  of  community  of  origin, 
and  thus  favors  the  idea  that  the  elements  are  in  reality 
composite  structures.  But  the  great  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  this  idea  has  been  the  apparent  impossibility  of  decom- 
posing such  family  groups.     Thus  fluorine,  chlorine,  bro- 


114:  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

mine,  and  iodine,  while  tliey  appear  to  be  related  to  one 
another  in  some  peculiar  manner,  have  yet  resisted  all  at- 
tempts at  decomposition,  and  there  are  other  similar  in- 
stances that  miglit  be  named. 

158.  It  has,  however,  at  the  same  time,  come  to  be 
recognized  that  high  temperature  is  a  very  powerful  de- 
composing agent,  and  that  its  office  is  by  no  means  limited 
to  causing  the  separation  from  one  another  of  the  mole- 
cules of  a  substance,  as,  for  instance,  when  it  separates  the 
molecules  of  water  or  H^O  from  one  another  in  the  case  of 
steam.  It  is  now  understood  that  high  temperature  has 
also  the  power  of  separating  the  atomic  constituents  of  a 
single  molecule  from  each  other,  so  that  at  an  extremely 
high  temperature  water  would  not  only  be  driven  into 
steam,  but  steam  driven  into  oxygen  and  hydrogen.  We 
are  already  familiar  with  many  instances  of  this  power 
possessed  by  high  temperature  ;  thus  we  see  that  carbonate 
of  lime  is  decomposed  by  the  heat  of  the  kiln  into  lime 
and  carbonic-acid  gas.  We  see  also  that  at  the  high  tem- 
peratures which  accompany  the  electric  spark  almost  all 
compounds  are  momentarily  decomposed,  if  we  may  judge 
by  the  spectrum  of  the  light  which  is  given  out.  Carry- 
ing on  this  line  of  thought,  we  are  led  to  imagine  that, 
could  we  obtain  higher  temperatures  than  those  now  at  our 
disposal,  we  might  decompose  some  of  those  substances 
which  at  present  seem  to  be  elements. 

159.  Lockyer,  in  his  astronomical  researches,  has  re- 
cently started  this  question.  He  argues  that  in  the  sun 
and  some  of  the  brighter  stars  we  are  furnished  with  tem- 
peratures very  much  higher  than  any  thing  which  has  been 
here  produced.  He  assumes  too  that  simplicity  of  consti- 
tution accompanies  a  simple  spectrum,  an  hypothesis  which 
is  verified  by  the  fact  that  compounds  all  give  spectra 
much  more  complicated  than  simple  substances,  ^ow,  it 
ia  a  curious  circumstance  that  some  of  the  brighter  stars, 


DEVELOPMENT.  115 

sucli  as  Sirius,  do  not  appear  to  contain  any  thing  but  hy- 
drogen ;  at  least  we  have  no  indication  that  they  do ;  other 
stars  again  of  less  brilliancy,  in  addition  to  hydrogen,  have 
such  substances  as  iron,  sodium,  etc.,  while  stars  of  un- 
mistakably less  brilliancy,  including  colored  and  variable 
stars,  appear  to  contain  in  their  atmospheres  substances 
which  are  compounds.  If,  then,  it  be  true  that  as  a  rule 
the  most  brilliant  stars  contain  the  fewest  elements  and 
those  of  smallest  atomic  weight,  and  that  as  stars  diminish 
in  brilliancy  they  rise  in  complexity  of  structure,  in  fine,  if 
we  have  reason  to  associate  together  brilliancy  and  sim- 
plicity, this  undoubtedly  tells  in  favor  of  the  power  of  high 
temperatures  to  split  up  the  so-called  elements. 

Xo  doubt  it  may  be  said  that  the  brightest  stars  may 
only  be  those  nearest  to  us,  but  there  is  also  ground  for 
supposing  that  they  may  be  the  hottest  stars,  in  the  fact 
that  their  spectra  contain  a  greater  proportion  of  the  more 
refrangible  rays  than  do  those  of  yellow  or  red  stars. 

In  fine,  a  speculation  of  this  nature  is  not  to  be  sum- 
marily dismissed,  but  ought  to  be  retained  as  a  working 
hypothesis  which  may  throw  light  on  the  ultimate  consti- 
tution of  the  chemical  elements. 

160.  Let  us  now  turn  to  globe  development.  We  have 
alluded  to  this  already  when  discussing  the  energy  of  the 
universe.  In  doing  so  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
original  state  of  the  visible  universe  was  a  diffused  or 
chaotic  state,  in  which  the  various  particles  were  widely 
separated  from  one  other,  but  endowed  with  the  force  of 
gravitation,  and  therefore  possessed  of  potential  energy. 
As  these  particles  condensed  or  came  together,  this  poten- 
tial energy  was  gradually  transmuted  into  the  energy  oi 
heat  and  into  that  of  visible  motion.  We  may  thus  ima- 
gine the  cooling  and  revolving  matter  in  course  of  time  to 
have  thrown  off  certain  parts  of  itself  which  would  there- 
after form  satellites  or  planetary  attendants,  while  the  cen- 


lin  2 HE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

tral  mass  would  form  the  sun.  We  have  here,  in  fact,  the 
development  hypothesis  of  Kant  and  Laplace,  and  it  is 
greatly  in  favor  of  the  truth  of  this  hypothesis  that  all  the 
planetary  motions  of  the  solar  system  are  nearly  in  one 
plane,  and  also  that,  looking  down  on  the  system  from 
above,  all  these  motions  are  seen  to  be  in  one  direction. 

161.  Assuming,  therefore,  that  the  solar  system  and 
jpaH ^dssu^  the  other  sidereal  systems,  have  been  formed  in 
this  way,  it  is  easy  to  see  why  the  central  mass  should  be 
so  much  hotter  than  its  attendants.  Two  causes  would 
conduce  to  this :  In  the  first  place,  assuming  that  the 
heat  of  a  mass  is  due  to  the  rushing  together  of  its  parti- 
cles under  the  force  of  gravitation,  the  velocities  would  be 
much  greater  for  the  central  mass,  and  hence  the  heat  de- 
veloped would  be  greater  also.  In  the  next  place,  the 
body  being  a  large  one  would  cool  less  rapidly  than  its  at- 
tendant planets.  These  two  causes  combine  to  render  the 
largest  bodies  of  the  universe  originl),lly  (and  still  more 
now)  the  hottest,  so  that  the  same  body  which  forms  the 
gravitating  centre  of  the  system  becomes  also  the  dispenser 
of  light  and  heat. 

162.  I^ow,  without  speculating  about  the  nature  or  ex- 
tent of  the  ethereal  medium,  we  may  be  sure  of  two  things : 
In  the  first  place,  a  large  amount  of  the  light  and  heat  of 
the  sun  and  stars  goes  out  into  space  and  does  not  return  to 
them  again,  or,  in  other  words,  the  sun  and  stars  are  slowly 
cooling.  In  the  next  place,  the  visible  motion  of  the  large 
bodies  of  the  universe  is  gradually  being  stopped  by  some- 
thing which  may  be  denominated  ethereal  friction.  It  fol- 
lows from  this  that  our  own  sun  will  gradually  lose  his 
brilliancy,  and  that  our  earth  will  gradually  lose  its  orbital 
energy  and  approach  the  sun  by  a  slow  spiral  motion.  At 
last  it  will  become  entangled  with  the  sun,  and  the  result 
will  be  the  conversion  of  the  remaining  orbital  energy  into 
heat,  after  which  the  two  bodies  will  remain  one. 


DEVELOPMENT.  117 

Thus  the  tendency  is  that  the  sun  shall  ultimately  ab- 
sorb the  various  planets  of  the  system,  his  heat  and  energy 
being  recruited  by  the  process.  JN^ow,  let  us  imagine  that 
the  same  process  is  simultaneously  going  on  in  one  of  the 
nearer  fixed  stars,  say,  for  instance,  in  Sirius. 

After  unimaginable  ages  these  two  stars,  the  sun  and 
Sirius,  having  each  long  since  devoured  his  attendants,  but 
being  nevertheless  exhausted  in  heat-energy  on  account  of 
radiation  into  space,  may  be  imagined  to  be  traveling 
toward  one  another,  slowly  at  first,  but  afterward  with  an 
accelerated  motion. 

They  will  at  last  approach  each  other  with  a  great  ve- 
locity, and  finally  form  one  system.  Ultimately  the  two 
will  rush  together  and  form  one  mass,  the  orbital  energy 
of  each  being  converted  into  heat,  and  the  matter  being, 
in  consequence,  probably  evaporated  and  transformed  into 
a  gaseous,  nebulous  condition.  Ages  pass  away,  and  the 
large  double  mass  uftimately  shares  the  same  fate  that  long 
since  overtook  the  single  masses  which  composed  it ;  that 
is  to  say,  it  gives  out  its  light  and  heat  into  space  and  be- 
comes dark,  until  at  length  it  comes  to  form  one  of  the 
constituents  of  a  still  more  stupendous  collision,  and  has 
its  temperature  raised  once  again  by  the  conversion  of  visi- 
ble energy  into  heat. 

163.  Our  readers  will  remark  how,  by  a  process  of  this 
kind,  the  primordial  potential  energy  of  the  visible  uni- 
verse is  gradually  converted  into  light  and  heat,  and  how 
this  light  and  heat  are  ultimately  dissipated  into  space. 
They  will  also  remark  that,  as  the  process  proceeds,  the 
masses  of  the  universe  become  larger  and  larger.  In  fine, 
the  dissipation  of  the  energy  of  the  visible  universe  ^ro- 
ceeds,  j)a?'i  passu,  with  the  aggregation  of  mass. 

The  very  fact,  therefore,  that  the  large  masses  of  the 
visible  universe  are  of  finite  size,  is  sufficient  to  assure  us 
that  the  process  cannot  have  been  going  on  forever ;  or,  in 


118  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

other  words,  that  the  visible  universe  must  have  had  its 
origin  in  time,  and  we  may  con  chide  with  equal  certainty 
that  the  process  will  ultimately  come  to  an  end.  All  this 
is  what  would  take  place,  provided  we  allow  the  indestruc- 
tibility of  ordinary  matter ;  but  we  may  perhaps  suppose 
(Art.  153)  that  the  very  material  of  the  visible  universe 
will  ultimately  vanish  into  the  invisible. 

164.  There  is  one  peculiarity  of  the  process  of  develop- 
ment now  described  which  we  beg  our  readers  to  note. 
We  have  supposed  the  visible  universe,  after  its  production, 
to  have  been  left  to  its  own  laws ;  that  is  to  say,  to  certain 
inorganic  agencies,  which  we  call  forces,  in  virtue  of  which 
its  development  took  place,  kt  the  very  first  there  may 
only  have  been  one  kind  of  primordial  ^tom,  or,  to  use  an- 
other expression,  perfect  simplicity  of  material.  As,  how- 
ever, the  various  atoms  approached  each  other,  in  virtue  of 
the  forces  with  which  they  were  endowed,  other  and  more 
complicated  structures  took  the  place  of  the  perfectly  sim- 
ple primordial  stuff.  Various  molecules  were  produced  at 
various  temperatures,  and  these  ultimately  came-  together 
to  produce  globes  or  worlds,  some  of  them  comparatively 
small,  others  very  large.  Thus  the  progress  is  from  the 
regular  to  the  irregular.  And  we  find  a  similar  progress 
when  we  consider  the  inorganic  development  of  our  own 
world. .  The  action  of  water  rounds  pebbles,  but  it  rounds 
them  irregularly ;  it  produces  soil,  but  the  soil  is  irregu- 
lar in  the  size  of  its  grains,  and  variable  in  constitution. 
"Wherever  what  may  be  termed  the  brute  forces  of  l^ature 
are  left  to  themselves,  this  is  always  the  result;  not  so, 
however,  when  organisms  are  concerned  in  the  develop- 
ment. Two  living  things  of  the  same  family  are  more  like 
each  other  than  two  grains  of  sand  or  two  particles  of  soil. 
The  eggs  of  birds  of  the  same  family,  the  similar  feathers 
of  similar  birds,  the  ants  from  the  same  ant-hill,  have  all  a 
very  strong  likeness  to  each  other. 


DEVELOPMENT.  119 

This  likeness  is  still  more  marked  if  we  regard  certain 
products  of  human  industry.  Let  us  take,  for  instance, 
coins  from  the  same  die,  or  bullets  from  the  same  mould, 
or  impressions  from  the  same  engraved  plate,  and  we  at 
once  perceive  the  striking  difference  between  products 
developed  through  inorganic  means  and  those  developed 
through  an  intelligent  agent  designing  uniformity. 

165.  Let  us  now  proceed  to  consider  life  development. 
Let  us  imagine  that  the  primeval  atoms  have  long  since 
come  together,  various  chemical  substances  being  the  re- 
sult. And  let  us  further  imagine  that  these  various  sub- 
stances have  long  since  gathered  themselves  into  worlds, 
of  various  sizes  at  first;  but  these  worlds  have  gradually 
cooled  down,  until  one  of  them,  the  earth,  let  us  say,  has 
at  length  reached  conditions  under  which  life  (such  as  we 
know  it)  becomes  possible.  Accordingly,  life  makes  its 
appearance ;  not  the  life  that  now  is,  but  something  much 
ruder  and  simpler.  But  in  process  of  time  we  find  quite  a 
different  order  of  organized  beings ;  a  higher  and  more 
complete  type  has  appeared,  and  the  type  continues  to  rise 
until  it  culminates  in  the  production  of  man,  a  being  en- 
dowed with  intelligence,  and  capable  of  reasoning  upon  the 
phenomena  around  him.  Xow,  if  man  reviews  these  or- 
ganized forms  which  exist  on  the  earth  side  by  side  with 
himself,  he  perceives  at  once  that  a  number  of  individuals 
possess  certain  characteristics  in  common,  and  he  gives 
expression  to  this  experience  by  saying  that  these  indi- 
viduals are  all  of  one  species.  "  When  we  call  a  group  of 
animals  or  of  plants  a  species,"  says  Prof.  Huxley,^  "we 
may  imply  thereby  either  that  all  these  animals  or  plants 
have  some  common  peculiarity  of  form  or  structure;  or 
we  may  mean  that  they  possess  some  common  functional 
chaa-acter.  That  part  of  biological  science  which  deals  with 
form  and  structure  is  called  Morphology ;  that  which  con- 

'  "  Lay  Sermons,  Essays,  and  Reviews." 


120  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

cems  itself  with  function,  Physiology.  So  that  we  may 
conveniently  speak  of  these  two  senses,  or  aspects,  of  '  spe- 
cies'— the  one  as  morphological,  the  other  as  physiologi- 
cal. .  .  .  Thus  horses  form  a  species,  because  the  group  of 
animals  to  which  that  name  is  applied  is  distinguished  from 
all  others  in  the  world  by  the  following  constantly  asso- 
ciated characters :  They  have — 1.  A  vertebral  column  ;  2. 
Mamma3;  3.  A  placental  embryo ;  4.  Four  legs;  5.  A  single 
well-developed  toe  in  each  foot,  provided  with  a  hoof ;  6. 
A  bushy  tail ;  and  7.  Callosities  on  the  inner  sides  of  both 
the  fore  and  the  hind  legs.  The  asses,  again,  form  a  dis- 
tinct species,  because,  with  the  same  characters,  as  far  as 
the  fifth  in  the  above  list,  all  asses  have  tufted  tails,  and 
have  callosities  only  on  the  inner  side  of  the  fore-legs." 

But  very  often  the  morphological  peculiarities  of  a  spe- 
cies are  more  easily  recognized  than  expressed.  No  one, 
for  instance,  would  fail  to  rank  the  horse  as  one  species  and 
the  ass  as  another,  even  while  ignorant  of  some  of  those 
specific  peculiarities  which  the  naturalist  selects  as  convey- 
ing the  best  scientific  account  of  their  difference. 

166.  Let  us  now  regard  the  question  of  species  from  its 
physiological  point  of  view.  Suppose  that  two  individuals, 
A  and  B,  of  different  sexes,  breed  freely  together,  produ- 
cing offspring,  and  that  two  individuals,  C  and  D,  do  the 
like. 

Now,  if  the  offspring  of  A  and  B  is  capable  of  breed- 
ing freely  with  that  of  C  and  D,  producing  offspring,  gen- 
eration after  generation,  then  A,  B,  C,  and  D,  may  be  said 
to  belong  to  the  same  physiological  species. 

To  take  an  illustration  borrowed  from  Prof.  Huxley : 
let  us  imagine  that  A  is  an  Arab,  and  B  a  dray-horse ;  also 
that  C  is  a  dray-horse,  and  D  an  Arab.  Now  the  pro- 
geny of  these  two  pairs  will  all  be  mongrels,  holding  a 
position  intermediate  between  that  of  the  Arab  and  the 
dray-horse ;  but  they  will  be  perfectly  fertile  among  them- 


DEVELOPMENT.  121 

selves  when  matched  too:ether.  We  therefore  conclude 
that  the  dray-horse  and  the  Arab  are  not  distinct  physiolo- 
gical species,  but  only  varieties  of  the  same  species.  Again, 
let  A  he  a  horse  and  B  an  ass,  also  let  C  be  a  liorse  and  D 
an  ass.  The  pairs  will  still  have  offspring,  and  these  will 
be  mules,  having  a  character  intermediate  between  that  of 
the  horse  and  that  of  the  ass ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  these 
mules  will  not  be  able  to  breed  together  among  themselves 
so  as  to  produce  offspring.  We  are  therefore  justified  in 
asserting  that  a  horse  and  an  ass  are  of  different  physiolo- 
gical species. 

If  we  should  ever  attempt  to  pair  together  animals 
much  more  unlike  each  other  than  the  horse  and  the  ass, 
we  should  simply  fail.  They  will  not*  come  together,  and 
we  cannot  tell  whether,  if  they  did,  they  would  be  capable 
bf  producing  progeny.  We  may  therefore  conclude  that, 
as  matter  of  fact,  there  are  certain  well-marked  physiologi- 
cal species  that  will  not  breed  with  each  other  at  all,  while 
there  are  other  species  also  physiologically  distinct,  but  not 
so  markedly  separated  from  each  other,  that  may  be  brought 
to  breed  together,  their  offspring  being  infertile. 

167.  The  most  apparent  conclusion  to  be  deduced  from 
these  facts  would  be  that  of  the  invariability  of  species, 
and  of  the  impossibility  of  its  transmutation — the  infertility 
of  hybrids  being  the  law  that  prevents  any  such  transmu- 
tation taking  place.  And  as  the  physiological  species  can- 
not be  made  different,  the  apparent  conclusion  is  that  in 
times  past  they  have  been  always  the  same  as  they  are  now. 
If  this  be  allowed,  it  follows  that  inasmuch  as  they  took 
their  origin  in  time,  they  must  have  originally  been  pro- 
duced very  much  as  they  are  at  the  present  moment — a 
separate  act  of  production  being  required  for  each  species, 
or  rather  two  separate  acts  for  each  species.  This  position 
has  always  been  regarded  as  a  stronghold  by  a  certain  class 
of  theological  thinkers,  and  they  have  resented  the  attempts 
6 


122  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

of  men  of  science  to  obtain  any  other  explanation  of  the 
origin  of  species. 

Men  of  science  have,  on  the  other  hand,  asserted  their 
right  to  discuss  this  question  with  the  same  freedom  as  any- 
other.  Our  point  of  view  is  somewhat  diiferent  from  that 
of  either  of  these  two  parties.  We  think  it  is  not  so  much 
the  right  or  privilege  as  the  bounden  duty  of  the  man  of 
science  to  put  back  the  direct  interference  of  the  Great 
First  Cause — the  unconditioned — as  far  as  he  possibly  can 
in  time.  This  is  the  intellectual  or  rather  theoretical  work 
which  he  is  called  upon  to  do — the  post  that  has  been  as- 
signed to  him  in  the  economy  of  the  universe. 

If,  then,  two  possible  theories  of  the  production  of  any 
phenomenon  are  presented  to  the  man  of  science,  one  of 
these  implying  the  immediate  operation  of  the  uncondi- 
tioned, and  the  other  the  operation  of  some  cause  existing 
in  the  universe,  we  conceive  that  he  is  called  upon  by  the 
most  profound  obligations  of  his  nature  to  choose  the  sec- 
ond in  preference  to  the  first.  But  we  have  already  suffi- 
ciently discussed  this  question  in  a  previous  part  of  this 
book  (Art.  85). 

168.  When  we  examine  closely  into  the  phenomena 
of  life  we  find  that  side  by  side  with  the  general  law, 
that  like  produces  like,  there  is  a  tendency  to  minor  va- 
riations. 

Thus  we  have  already  agreed  to  consider  dray-horses 
and  Arabs  as  varieties  of  the  species  horse ;  and  in  like 
manner  pouters,  carriers,  fan-tails,  and  tumblers,  are  all 
varieties  of  the  species  rock-pigeon.  We  are  therefore  led 
to  ask  how  such  varieties  were  originally  produced  and  how 
they  become  perpetuated  after  their  production. 

I^ow,  it  is  well  known  that  there  occurs  occasionally  an 
unaccountable  variation,  so  marked  in  its  nature  as  to  be 
worthy  of  historical  record.  Two  very  interesting  and  in- 
structive instances  of  this  are  given  by  Prof.  Huxley,  and 


DEVELOPMENT.  123 

we  take  tlie  liberty  of  quoting  these  in  the  professor's  own 
words : 

"The  firsi  of  them  is  that  of  the  'Ancon,'  or  'Otter'  sheep,  of 
which  a  careful  account  is  given  by  Colonel  David  Humphreys,  F.  R.  S., 
in  a  letter  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  published  in  the  '  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions '  for  1813.  It  appears  that  one  Seth  Wright,  the  proprietor  of 
a  farm  on  the  banks  of  the  Charles  River,  in  Massachusetts,  possessed 
a  flock  of  fifteen  ewes  and  a  ram  of  the  ordinary  kind.  In  the  year 
1791,  one  of  the  ewes  presented  her  owner  with  a  male  lamb  differ- 
ing, for  no  assignable  reason,  from  its  parents  by  a  proportionally 
long  body  and  short  bandy  legs,  whence  it  was  unable  to  emulate  its 
relatives  in  those  sportive  leaps  over  the  neighbors'  fences  in  which 
they  were  in  the  habit  of  indulging,  much  to  the  good  farmers'  vexa- 
tion. 

"  With  the  '  cuteness '  characteristic  of  their  nation,  the  neigh- 
bors of  the  Massachusetts  farmer  imagined  it  would  be  an  excellent 
thing  if  all  his  sheep  were  imbued  with  the  stay-at-home  tendencies 
enforced  by  Nature  upon  the  new^ly-arrived  ram,  and  they  advised 
Wright  to  kill  the  old  patriarch  of  his  fold,  and  install  the  Ancon  ram 
in  his  place.  The  result  justified  their  sagacious  anticipations.  .  .  . 
The  young  lambs  were  almost  always  either  pure  Ancons  or  pure 
ordinary  sheep.  But  when  sufficient  Ancon  sheep  wer^  obtained  to 
interbreed  with  one  another,  it  was  found  that  the  offspring  was 
always  pure  Ancon." 

"  The  second  case  is  that  detailed  by  a  no  less  unexc'eptionable 
authority  than  Reaumur,  in  his  '  Art  de  faire  eclore  les  Poulets.'  A  . 
Maltese  couple  named  Kelleia,  whose  hands  and  feet  were  construct- 
ed upon  the  ordinary  human  model,  had  born  to  them  a  son,  Gratio, 
who  possessed  six  perfectly  movable  fingers  on  each  hand,  and  six 
toes,  not  quite  so  well  formed,  on  each  foot.  No  cause  could  be 
assigned  for  the  appearance  of  this  unusual  variety  of  the  human 
species.  But,  however  they  may  have  arisen,  what  especially  in- 
terests us 'is  to  remark  that,  once  in  existence,  varieties  obey  the 
fundamental  law  of  reproduction  that  like  tends  to  produce  like,  and 
their  offspring  exemplify  it  by  tending  to  exhibit  the  same  deviation 
from  the  parental  stock  as  themselves.  Indeed,  there  seems  to  be  in 
many  instances  a  prepotent  influence  about  a  newly-arisen  variety 
which  gives  it  what  we  may  call  an  unfair  advantage  over  the  normal 


124  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

descendants  from  the  same  stock.  This  is  strikingly  exemplified  by 
the  case  of  Gratio  Kelleia,  who  married  a  woman  with  the  ordinary 
pentadactyle  extremities,  and  had  by  her  four  children,  Salvator, 
George,  Andr6,  and  Marie.  Of  these  children  Salvator,  the  eldest 
boy,  had  six  fingers  and  six  toes,  like  his  father;  the  second  and 
third,  also  boys,  had  five  fingers  and  five  toes,  like  their  mother, 
though  the  hands  and  feet  of  George  were  slightly  deformed ;  the 
last,  a  girl,  had  five  fingers  and  five  toes,  but  the  thumbs  were  slightly 
deformed.  The  variety  thus  reproduced  .itself  purely  in  the  eldest, 
while  the  normal  type  reproduced  itself  purely  in  the  third,  and 
almost  purely  in  the  second  and  last;  so  that  it  would  seem,  at  first, 
as  if  the  normal  type  were  more  powerful  than  the  variety.  But  all 
these  children  grew  up  and  intermarried  with  normal  wives  and  hus- 
bands, and  then  note  what  took  place :  Sirfvator  had  four  children, 
three  of  whom  exhibited  the  hexadactyle  members  of  their  grand- 
father and  father,  while  the  youngest  had  the  pentadactyle  limbs  of 
the  mother  and  grandmother;  so  that  here,  notwithstanding  a  double 
pentadactyle  dilution  of  the  blood,  the  hexadactyle  variety  had  the 
best  of  it.  The  same  prepotency  of  the  variety  was  still  more  mark- 
edly exemplified  in  the  progeny  of  two  of  thef  other  children,  Marie 
and  George.  Marie  (whose  thumbs  only  were  deformed)  gave  birth 
to  a  boy  with  six  toes,  and  three  other  normally  formed  children ; 
but  George,  who  was  not  cjuite  so  pure  a  pentadactyle,  begot,  first,  two 
girls,  each  of  whom  had  six  fingers  and  toes;  then  a  girl  with  six 
fingers  on  each  hand,  and  six  toes  on  the  right  foot,  but  only  five  toes 
on  the  left ;  and,  lastly,  a  boy  with  only  five  fingers  and  toes.  In 
these  instances,  therefore,  the  variety,  as  it  were,  leaped  over  one 
generation  to  reproduce  itself  in  full  force  in  the  next.  Finally,  the 
purely  pentadactyle  Andr6  was  the  father  of  many  children,  not  one 
of  whom  departed  from  the  normal  parental  type." 

169.  The  instances  now  quoted  illustrate  two  things. 
Both  tell  us  how  varieties  arise,  we  may  say  spontaneously,' 
or,  in  other  words,  we  cannot  tell  how ;  and  the  former  in- 
stance, that  of  the  A  neon  breed,  shows  us,  moreover,  that 
such  varieties,  when  they  do  occur,  may  be  rendered  per- 
manent by  means  of  artificial  selection.  If  the  six-fingered 
descendants  of  Gratio  Kelleia  had  been  forced  to  inter- 
marry among  themselves,  it  is  highly  probable  that  we 
should  liave  had  a  permanent  hexadactyle  variety  of  the 


DEVELOPMENT,  125 

human  race.  It  has  likewise  been  shown  by  Charles 
Darwin  that  the  pouter,  the  fan-tail,  the  carrier,  and  the 
tumbler,  are  all  varieties  of  the  common  rock-pigeon. 

170.  It  thus  appears  that  permanent  varieties  may  be 
produced  by  artificial  selection.  Kow,  Darwin  and  Wal- 
lace have  brought  before  us  this  great  fact  tliat  changes  can 
also  be  produced  by  natural  selection. 

To  illustrate  this,  let  us  imagine  that  a  slight  variety 
arises  spontaneously,  we  do  not  know  how.  Having  arisen, 
there  is  a  "  prepotent  influence  "  about  it  which  enables  it 
to  secure  a  considerable  proportion  of  offspring  having  its 
own  characteristics.  Now,  suppose  that  the  characteristics 
are  such  as  to  adapt  the  individuals  possessing  them  more 
perfectly  to  the  conditions  of  Nature  that  surround  them. 
When,  by  breeding  among  themselves,  the  new  variety  is 
rendered  permanent,  the  members  of  this  variety  will, 
therefore,  have  an  advantage  over  their  elder  brethren  as 
far  as  the  conditions  of  Nature  are  concerned,  will,  in  fine, 
succeed  better  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  and  will  ulti- 
mately displace  the  elder  branches.  In  fact,  the  struggle 
for  existence  bears  to  natural  selection  the  same  relation  as 
man  bears  to  artificial  selection. 

171.  We  now  come  to  the  real  point  of  difficulty,  or  at 
least  the  unproved  point  in  the  Darwinian  hypothesis.  We 
may  cross  one  race  with  another,  but  w^e  do  not  obtain,  as 
far  as  we  know,  those  phenomena  of  infertility  that  are 
exhibited  when  we  cross  distinct  species  with  each  other. 
The  Ancon  sheep  w^ere  perfectly  fertile  when  matched 
wdth  their  elder  brethren,  and  the  dray-horse  and  the  Arab, 
or  the  pouter  and  the  tumbler,  breed  together  as  easily  as 
if  they  w^ere  of  the  same  race.  But,  if  we  cannot  produce 
infertility,  how  can  w^e  apply  the  results  of  artificial  selec- 
tion to  account  for  the  origin  of  species  ? 

This  difficulty  is  met  by  Darwin  and  his  followers  in 
this  way :    "•*  It  is  not  as-  yet  proved,"   says  Prof.   Hux- 


126  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

ley,  "  that  a  race  ever  exhibits,  when  crossed  with  another 
race  of  the  same  species,  those  phenomena  of  hybridization 
which  are  exhibited  by  many  species  when  crossed  with 
other  species.  On  the  other  hand,  not  only  is  it  not  proved 
that  all  species  give  rise  to  hybrids  infertile  inter  se,  but 
there  is  much  reason  to  believe  that,  in  crossing,  species 
exhibit  every  gradation  from  perfect  sterility  to  perfect 
fertility."  This  appears  to  carry  weight ;  the  old  theory 
went  with  a  leap  from  perfect  fertility  to  perfect  sterility, 
and  did  not  contemplate  the  possibility  of  a  continuous 
gradation  from  the  one  extreme  to  the  other ;  at  least  its 
argument  was  founded  upon  the  neglect  of  such  a  grada- 
tion. But,  if  there  be  a  gradation  of  this  kind,  it  follows 
that  infertility  will  merely  represent  the  results  of  crossing 
two  species  whose  functional  characteristics  are  very  differ- 
ent from  each  other ;  and,  on-  the  other  hand,  the  reason 
why  artificially  produced  varieties  are  not  infertile  when 
crossed  with  one  another  may  only  be  that  the  experiment 
has  not  been  continued  long  enough. 

Time,  in  fact,  is  the  essential  requisite  in  all  such  at- 
tempts to  imitate  Nature. 

172.  In  connection  with  this  subject,  Mr.  Darwin  has 
remarked  that  certain  plants  are  more  fertile  with  the 
pollen  of  another  species  than  with  their  own  ;  and  Prof. 
Huxley  tells  us  that  there  are  certain /W(?^  whose  male  ele- 
ment will  fertilize  the  ovule  of  a  plant  of  distinct  species, 
while  the  males  of  the  latter  species  are  ineffective  with 
the  females  of  the  first.  So  obscure  in  some  of  its  branches 
is  the  working  of  the  reproductive  system. 

Again,  the  following  remark  by  Mr.  Darwin  is  very 
suggestive : 

"  First  crosses  between  forms  known  to  be  varieties,  or 
sufficiently  alike  to  be  considered  as  varieties,  and  their 
mongrel  offspring,  are  very  generally,  but  not  quite  uni- 
versally, fertile.    Nor  is  tiiis  nearly  general  and  perfect 


DEVELOPMENT.  127 

fertility  surprising,  when  we  remember  how  liable  we  are 
to  argue  in  a  circle  with  respect  to  varieties  in  a  state  of 
nature ;  and  when  we  remember  that  the  greater  number 
of  varieties  have  been  produced  under  domestication,  by 
the  selection  of  mere  external  differences,  and  not  of  dif- 
ferences in  the  reproductive  system.  In  all  other  respects, 
excluding  fertility,  there  is  a  close  general  resemblance  be- 
tween hybrids  and  mongrels." 

173.  The  result  of  all  these  speculations  is  to  render  it 
probable  that  there  may  be  in  Nature,  give  it  time  enough, 
a  process  which  leads  to  the  transmutation  of  species. 

The  accumulation  of  successive  differences,  each  repre- 
senting some  element  of  success  in  the  struggle  for  life, 
may  easily  be  imagined  in  the  course  of  ages  to  produce  a 
very  great  change. 

Reasoning  out  this  hypothesis,  the  more  advanced  fol- 
lowers of  Mr.  Darwin  do  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  all  the 
varieties  of  living  things,  including  man,  to  the  result  of 
development  from  some  primordial  germ  taking  place 
throughout  the  course  of  immeasurable  ages.  And  Mr. 
Darwin  himself,  in  his  work  on  the  "  Descent  of  Man,"  lays 
great  stress  on  the  occurrence  of  homologous  structures  in 
man  and  the*  lower  animals,  as  well  as  on  the  development 
in  man  of  rudimentary  structures,  which  are  either  abso- 
lutely useless  to  their  possessors,  or  of  very  slight  service, 
indeed,  but  which  appear  to  serve  as  an  index  of  the  vari- 
ous stages  through  which  the  human  species  has  passed  in 
its  progress  upward  from  lower  forms  of  life. 

174.  Mr.  Wallace,  however,  sees  in  the  production  of 
man  the  intervention  of  an  external  will. 

He  remarks  that  the  lowest  types  of  savages  are  in  pos- 
session of  a  brain,  and  of  capacities  far  beyond  any  use  to 
which  they  could  apply  them  in  their  present  condition, 
and  that  therefore  they  could  not  have  been  evolved  from 
the  mere  necessities  of  their  environments. 


128  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

175.  Finally,  Prof.  Huxley  imagines  the  possibility  of 
the  Darwinian  hypothesis  requiring  modification.  Allud- 
ing to  the  assumed  circularity  of  the  planetary  orbits  that 
followed  the  establishment  of  the  Copernican  hypothesis 
(Art.  69),  he  remarks : 

"  But  the  planetary  orbits  turaed  out  to  be  not  quite 
circular  after  all,  and,  grand  as  was  the  service  Copernicus 
rendered  to  science,  Kepler  and  Kewton  had  to  come  after 
him.  What  if  the  orbit  of  Darwinism  should  be  a  little 
too  circular  ?  What  if  species  should  offer  residual  phe- 
nomena, here  and  there,  not  explicable  by  natural  selec- 
tion ?  Twenty  years  hence  naturalists  may  be  in  a  posi- 
tion to  say  whether  this  is,  or  is  not,  the  case ;  but  in 
either  event  they  will  owe  the  author  of  '  The  Origin  of 
Species  *  an  immense  debt  of  gratitude." 

1Y6.  We  will  defer  to  our  last  chapter  any  further  re- 
marks on  Mr.  Darwin's  hypothesis.  Meanwhile,  before 
concluding,  let  us  briefly  allude  to  the  original  production 
of  living  things  on  our  globe.  It  may,  perhaps,  eventu- 
ally be  possible,  by  means  of  an  hypothesis  of  evolution, 
to  account  for  the  great  variety  of  living  forms  on  the 
supposition  of  a  single  primordial  germ  to  begin  with ; 
but  the  difficulty  still  remains  how  to  account  for  this 
germ. 

It  is  against  all  true  scientific  experience  that  life  can 
appear  without  the  intervention  of  a  living  antecedent. 
How,  then,  are  we  to  explain  the  production  of  the  pri- 
mordial germ  ? 

The  difficulty  of  doing  so,  from  our  point  of  view 
w^ould  appear  to  be  unusually  great,  for  we  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that,  as  a  matter  of  scientific  principle,  we 
cannot  admit  any  such  breach  of  continuity  as  a  pure  act 
of  creation  in  time  would  imply. 

If,  then,  a  pure  act  of  creation  in  time  be  an  inadmis- 
sible hypothesis,  and  if  the  hypothesis  of  Abiogenesis  be 


DEVELOPMENT.  129 

equally  inadmissible,  our  readers  may  well  ask  how  are  we 
to  surmount  the  difficulty.  For  our  reply  to  this  question, 
we  must  once  more  beg  to  refer  them  to  our  concluding 
chapter. 


CHAPTEE  YI. 

SPECULATIONS   AS   TO   THE   POSSIBILITY    OF   8UPEEI0E    INTELLI- 
GENCES   IN   THE   VISIBLE   UNIVERSE. 

*'  The  earth  hath  bubbles,  as  the  water  has, 
And  these  are  of  them." — Shakespeare,  Macbeth. 

177.  Our  readers  are  now  aware,  from  what  we  have 
said  in  Chapter  IL,  that  the  two  great  requisites  for  or- 
ganized existence  are,  in  the  first  place,  an  organ  of  mem- 
ory, giving  the  individual  a  hold  upon  the  past,  and,  sec- 
ondly, the  possibility  of  varied  action  in  the  present ;  and 
that,  unless  these  two  things  are  fulfilled,  life  is  simply 
inconceivable. 

Again,  in  Chapters  III.,  lY.,  and-Y.,  we  have  suffi- 
ciently discussed  the  visible  universe  and  its  potentialities. 
"We  have  seen  that,  although  at  present  it  contains  the  es- 
sential requisites  for  organized  existence,  yet,  in  the  re- 
mote future,  a  time  will  necessarily  arrive  when,  through 
a  degradation  of  the  Energy  of  this  universe,  that  variety 
of  motion  which  is  essential  to  our  conception  of  life  will 
be  unattainable.  Immortality  is,  therefore,  impossible  in 
such  a  universe  ;  but  even  allowing  all  this  to  be  the  case, 
it  is  at  least  conceivable  that  man  may  be  at  death  drafted 
off  into  some  superior  rank  of  being  connected  with  the 
present  universe,  and  thence  ultimately  removed  into  a 
new  order  of  things  when  the  present  universe  shall  have 
become  effete. 


SUPERIOR  INTELLIQENGES.  131 

Let  us  now,  therefore,  very  briefly  discuss  the  ques- 
tion as  to  the  possibility  of  intelligences  superior  to  man 
existing  in  the  present  visible  universe.  And,  in  order  to 
commence  this  inquiry,  let  us  analyze  with  some  minute- 
ness the  physical  source  of  that  peculiarity  which  the 
present  universe  possesses,  in  virtue  of  which  it  affords 
living  beings  the  means  of  a  varied  existence.  Whence  is 
all  this  power  derived  ?  How  comes  it  about  that  a  living 
being  possesses  that  abruptness  and  spontaneity  of  action 
which  peculiarly  characterize  it  %  In  fine,  let  us  consider 
the  exact  position  of  life  in  the  present  physical  universe. 

178.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  well  known  that  equi- 
librium may  be  of  two  kinds,  stable  and  unstable,  and  if  we 
take  an  Q^g  balanced  on  its  end  at  the  edge  of  a  table  as  the 
example  of  mechanical  instability,  as  a  recent  writer  has 
done,^  we  shall  no  doubt  agree  with  him  that  it  "  depends 
upon  some  external  impulse  so  infinitesimally  small  as  to 
elude  our  observation  whether  the  ^g^  shall  fall  upon  the 
floor  and  give  rise  to  a  comparatively  large  transmutation 
of  energy,  or  whether  it  shall  fall  upon  the  table  and  give 
rise  to  a  transmutation  comparatively  small." 

But,  just  as  there  are  other  forces  besides  gravity,  so 
there  are  other  varieties  of  instability  besides  that  which  we 
treat  of  in  mechanics. 

We  may,  for  instance,  have  molecular  instability,  such 
as  characterizes  water  cooled  below  the  freezing-point,  or  a 
supersaturated  solution  of  Glauber's  salt,  where  the  advent 
of  the  smallest  possible  crystal  of  ice  or  of  Grlauber's  salt  is 
sufiicient  to  bring  about  a  marked  molecular  change  in  the 
liquid,  which  immediately  becomes  thick  with  deposited 
crystals ;  or,  again,  we  may  have  chemical  instability  in 
which  the  slightest  impulse  of  any  kind  may  determine  a 
chemical  change,  just  as  in  mechanical  instability  the 
slightest  possible  impulse   may  determine   a  mechanical 

^  See  Stewart  on  the  "  Conservation  of  Energy." 


132         THE  UNSEEN'  UNIVERSE. 

change.  Thus  fulminating  silver  or  nitro-gljcerine  are 
familiar  examples  of  chemical  instability  in  which  the 
slightest  blow  or  the  smallest  spark  may  be  suflScient  to 
bring  about  an  instantaneous  and  violent  generation  of 
heated  gas. 

179.  Again,  all  machines — that  is  to  say,  all  material 
systems — must  necessarily  be  of  two  kinds,  one  of  which 
makes  use  of  the  stable  forces  of  Nature  and  the  other  of 
the  unstable.  The  following  quotation  from  Stewart's  work 
on  Energy  will  sufficiently  explain  what  is  meant : 

"When  we  speak  of  a  structure,  or  a  machine,  or  a  system,  we 
simply  mean  a  number  of  individual  particles  associated  together  in 
producing  some  definite  result.  Thus,  the  solar  system,  a  timepiece, 
a  rifle,  are  examples  of  inanimate  machines ;  while  an  animal,  a  human 
being,  an  army,  are  examples  of  animated  structures  or  machines. 
Now,  such  machines  or  structures  are  of  two  kinds,  which  differ  from 
one  another  not  only  in  the  object  sought,  but  also  in  the  means  of 
attaining  that  object. 

"  In  the  first  place,  we  have  structures  or  machines  in  which  sys- 
tematic action  is  the  object  aimed  at,  and  in  which  all  the  arrange- 
ments are  of  a  conservative  nature,  the  element  of  instability  being 
avoided  as  much  as  possible.  The  solar  system,  a  timepiece,  a  steam- 
engine  at  work,  are  examples  of  such  machines,  and  the  character- 
istic of  all  such  is  their  calculaMlity .  Thus  the  skilled  astronomer 
can  tell,  with  the  utmost  precision,  in  what  place  the  moon  or  the 
planet  Venus  will  be  found  this  time  next  year.  Or,  again,  the  excel- 
lence of  a  timepiece  consists  in  its  various  hands  pointing  accurately 
in  a  certain  direction  after  a  certain  interval  of  time.  In  like  man- 
ner we  may  safely  count  upon  a  steamship  making  so  many  knots  an 
hour,  at  least  while  the  outward  conditions  remain  the  same.  In 
all  these  cases  we  make  our  calculations,  and  we  are  not  deceived — 
the  end  sought  is  regularity  of  action,  and  the  means  employed  is  a 
stable  arrangement  of  the  forces  of  Nature. 

"  Now,  the  characteristics  of  the  other  class  of  machines  are  pre- 
cisely the  reverse. 

"Here  the  object  aimed  at  is  not  a  regular,  but  a  sudden  and  vio- 
lent, transmutation  of  energy,  while  the  means  employed  are  unstable 
arrangements  of  natural  forces.    A  rifle  at  full  cock,  with  a  delicate 


SUPERIOR  INTELLIGENCES,  133 

hair-trigger,  is  a  very  good  instance  of  such  a  machine,  where  the 
slightest  touch  from  without  may  hring  about  the  explosion  of  the 
gunpowder,  and  the  propulsion  of  the  ball  with  a  very  great  velocity. 
Now,  such  machines  are  eminently  characterized  by  their  incalcula- 


"It  is  thus  apparent  that,  as  regards  energy,  structures  are  of 
two  kinds.  In  one  of  these,  the  object  sought  is  regularity  of  action, 
and  the  means  employed  a  stable  arrangement  of  natural  forces ; 
while  in  the  other  the  end  sought  is  freedom  of  action,  and  a  sudden 
transmutation  of  energy,  the  means  employed  being  an  unstable 
arrangement  of  natural  forces. 

"The  one  set  of  machines  are  characterized  by  their  calculability 
— the  other  by  their  incalculability.  The  one  set,  when  at  work,  are 
not  easily  put  wrong,  while  the  other  set  are  characterized  by  great 
delicacy  of  construction." 

180.  Having  thus  defined  the  two  kind^  of  machines, 
let  us  now  see  to  what  extent  a  living  being  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  machine,  and  also  to  which  of  these  two  cate- 
gories he  belongs. 

In  all  machines  what  we  do  is  merely  to  transform 
energy.  Our  readers  are  well  aware,  by  what  we  have 
already  said  (Art.  102),  that  it  is  just  as  impossible  to  cre- 
ate energy  as  it  is  to  create  matter. 

Thus  a  clock  has  to  be  wound  up  before  it  will  go ;  an 
engine  has  to  be  stoked  with  coal ;  a  rifle  or  cannon  has  to 
be  charged  with  powder ;  and.  in  fine,  all  machines,  whether 
delicately  constructed  or  not,  whether  calcuable  or  incal- 
culable, are  merely  transmuters  of  energy  and  not  creators 
of  it. 

To  this  law  the  living  being  is  no  exception.  The  creat- 
ures of  this  world  (and  it  is  of  such  we  are  now  speaking) 
are  certainly  not  creators  of  energy  ;  but  in  respect  of  the 
great  law  of  the  conservation  of  energy,  such  beings  must 
be  regarded  in  the  very  same  light  as  any  other  machines. 

But  there  is  yet  another  analogy  between  living  beings 
and  inanimate  machines.     When  we  study  the  working  of 


134  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

any  machine,  we  find  that  each  transmutation  of  energy 
brought  about  has  a  material  antecedent ;  the  effect  pro- 
duced has  a  cause  from  which  it  springs,  and  this  cause  is 
one  which  we  are  probably  able  to  recognize  from  our 
knowledge  of  the  laws  of  matter.  To  take  an  example : 
in  a  steam-engine  the  amount  of  work  produced  depends 
upon  the  amount  of  heat  carried  from  the  boiler  to  the 
condenser;  and  the  latter  depends  in  its  turn  upon  the 
amount  of  coal  which  is  burned  in  the  furnace  of  the  en- 
gine. In  like  manner,  the  velocity  of  the  bullet  which 
issues  from  a  rifle  depends  upon  the  transmutation  of  the 
energy  of  the  powder ;  this  in  its  turn  depends  upon  the 
explosion  of  the  percussion  cap ;  this  again  upon  the  fall 
of  the  hammer ;  and  lastly  this  upon  the  finger  of  the  man 
who  fires  the  rifle. 

Now,  without  attempting  to  define  what  life  is,  and 
leaving  all  speculations  regarding  it  to  our  last  chapter, 
we  yet  think  it  may  safely  be  said  that  a  living  being  is 
analogous  to  a  machine  in  this  particular  also. 

Let  us  take  the  man  who  fires  the  rifle.  We  can  trace 
back  the  motion  of  his  forefinger  to  the  contraction  of  a 
muscle  ;  and  we  can  go  even  further  back  and  connect  this 
contraction  with  a  stimulus  sent  along  the  nerves  from  the 
brain,  so  that  a  material  effect  is  here  seen  to  be  brought 
about  by  a  material  antecedent,  just  as  truly  as  in  an  inani- 
mate machine.  Indeed,  we  may  generalize,  and  say  that, 
as  far  as  we  can  jpliysically  investigate  a  living  heing,  we 
may  take  it  for  granted  that  a  material  effect  is  due  to  a 
strictly  material  antecedent  in  his  case  also. 

181.  We  have  thus  discussed  two  respects  in  which  a 
living  being  is  analogous  to  a  machine,  and  the  next  point 
is  to  determine  which  of  the  two  classes  of  machines  most 
resembles  the  living  being.  Is  he  analogous  to  the  solar 
system,  a  steam-engine,  or  a  clock  ?  or  is  he  rather  analo- 
gous to  some  delicately  constructed  machine,  such,  for  in- 


SUPERIOR  mTELLIGENGES,  135 

stance,  as  a  rifle  ?  There  can,  we  think,  be  no  doubt  that 
a  living  being  most  resembles  a  delicately  constructed  ma- 
chine. For  what  is  the  characteristic  of  such  a  machine  ? 
It  is  that  in  it  a  comparatively  great  transmutation  of  en- 
ergy may  be  brought  about  by  a  comparatively  small  phys- 
ical antecedent.  Thus  a  slight  breath  of  air  may  determine 
the  fall  of  the  ^g'g  off  the  table,  or  a  slight  tap  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  large  quantity  of  fulminating  silver.  So,  in 
the  human  being,  a  very  small  and  obscure  transmutation 
of  energy  in  the  mysterious  brain-chamber  may  determine 
some  very  violent  motion.  Speaking  of  this  subject,  Stew- 
art remarks :  "  Life  is  not  a  bully  who  swaggers  out  into 
the  open  universe,  upsetting  the  laws  of  energy  in  all  di- 
rections, but  rather  a  consummate  strategist,  who,  sitting 
in  his  secret  chamber  over  his  wires,  directs  the  movements 
of  a  great  army." 

1 82.  Granting,  then,  that  a  living  being  is  a  delicately 
constructed  machine,  the  next  point  is  to  determine  what 
process  of  delicacy,  what  peculiar  arrangement  of  unstable 
forces,^  is  employed  in  his  construction  %  ]N^ow,  it  is  very 
easy  to  perceive  that  the  delicacy .  in  this  case  is  brought 
about  by  an  unstable  arrangement  of  chemical  forces.  It 
is  plain  that  the  body  of  an  animal  is  a  chemically  unstable 
product,  and  if,  as  one  consequence  of  this,  great  freedom, 
of  action  and  delicacy  are  possessed  during  life,  it  is  an- 
other consequence  that  the  extinction  of  life  is  very  speedi- 
ly followed  by  decay. 

The  body,  then,  owes  its  delicacy  to  its  chemically  un- 
stable nature ;  to  that  peculiar  collocation  of  particles  that 
would  not  naturally,  and  in  virtue  of  their  own  forces,  have 
united  themselves  together  as  we  find  them  in  the  body. 

183.  To  what,  then,  is  due  this  peculiar  grouping  of 
particles  in  the  living  body  ? 

We  reply  that  it  is,  in  one  sense  at  least,  derived  from 
the  food  which  is  eaten.     If  animal  food  is  eaten,  it  is  of 


136  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

course  derived  from  the  body  of  the  animal  which  is  con- 
sumed. That  animal  may  possibly  have  derived  it  from 
another  animal,  but  more  probably  it  has  been  derived  in 
this  case  direct  from  the  vegetable  world.  Ultimately, 
therefore,  it  is  to  this  world  that  we  must  look  as  the  source 
of  that  delicately  constructed  substance  which  plays  such  a 
wonderful  and  important  part  in  the  animal  economy.  If 
we  go  one  link  further  back  in  the  chain  of  causation,  we 
shall  be  carried  from  the  vegetable  world  to  the  sun  as  the 
great  and  ultimate  physical  source  of  that  high-class  energy 
and  delicacy  of  construction  which  characterize  vegetable 
products.  It  is,  in  truth,  owing  to  the  actinic  rays  of  our 
luminary  that  vegetable  tissue  is  manufactured  in  the  leaves 
of  plants,  the  carbonic  acid  of  the  air  being  decomposed, 
and  oxygen  given  out,  while  the  carbon,  united  with  other 
substances,  and  modified  thereby,  is  retained  by  the  plant 
to  form  part  of  its  substance,  or  perchance  to  become  the 
food  of  animals. 

114.  T7e  have  now,  therefore,  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  the  delicacy  of  construction  which  our  frames  require 
is  ultimately  derived  from  the  sun,  as  far  at  least  as  the 
visible  universe  is  concerned.  If,  then,  we  would  reply  to 
the  question  of  this  chapter,  whether  or  not  there  may  be 
beings  superior  to  man  connected  with  this  present  uni- 
verse, let  us  look  abroad  and  endeavor  to  ascertain  whether 
there  be  in  this  universe  any  other  obvious  process  of  deli- 
cacy besides  that  which  characterizes  the  bodies  of  animals 
like  ourselves. 

Now,  it  has  been  pointed  out  that,  in  the  atmospheric 
changes  of  this  world,  and  more  particularly  of  the  sun,  we 
have  processes  of  great  delicacy.  It  is  believed  that  the 
positions  of  the  planets  Mercury  and  Yenus  affect  the  be- 
havior of  sun-spots,  and  thus  determine  the  conditions  of 
atmospheric  changes  on  the  surface  of  our  luminary  that 
are  absolutely  overwhelming   in   their  magnitude.     "We 


SUPERIOR  INTELLIOENGES.  137 

have  only  to  reflect  that  a  large  sun-spot  might  swallow  up 
fifty  planets  like  our  earth,  and  that  some  of  the  currents 
connected  with  it  move  at  the  rate  of  100  miles  per  second, 
in  order  to  realize  the  enormous  scale  of  the  solar  out- 
breaks. Again,  it  is  believed  that  the  state  of  the  solar 
surface  with  regard  to  spots  determines  the  storms  of  our 
earth,  so  that  there  are  most  hurricanes  in  the  Indian 
Ocean  as  well  as  on  the  coast  of  America  during  years  of 
maximum  sun-spots. 

But  if  such  results  are  brought  about  by  the  relative 
positions  of  the  planets  of  our  system,  it  is  evident  that  the 
cause  is  more  analogous  to  the  pulling  of  the  trigger  of  a 
cannon  ready  to  go  off  than  to  a  downright  blow.  In  fact, 
a  vast  transmutation  of  energy  in  the  sun  is  brought  about 
by  some  obscure  and  ill-understood  but  trivial  cause  con- 
nected with  the  position  of  the  nearer  planets  of  our  sys- 
tem. We  have  here  a  case  where  the  magnitude  of  the 
effect  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  that  of  the  antecedent ; 
now  this  is,  in  other  words,  the  definition  of  delicacy  al- 
ready given  (Art.  179). 

But,  again,  if  delicacy  of  construction  characterize  the 
meteorological  changes  in  the  various  members  of  our  sys- 
tem, it  is  entirely  absent  from  the  orbital  motions  of  these 
bodies.  These  want  that  great  characteristic  of  delicacy, 
incalculahility  j  for  they  are  not  only  preeminently  cal- 
culable, but  are  now  calculated  years  beforehand  as  part  of 
the  regular  business  of  the  world.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
meteorological  changes  of  our  earth  and  of  the  sun  come 
upon  us  with  all  the  abruptness  characteristic  of  delicacy, 
and  are  eminently  incalculable.  The  hurricane  and  the 
lightning-flash  are  processes  of  Mature  which  man  has  in 
every  age  been  prone  to  associate  with  personal  intelli- 
gences. He  has  instinctively  recognized  the  similarity  be- 
tween these  abrupt  and  startling  phenomena  and  the  ac- 
tions of  an  angry  and  powerful  being. 


138  THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

185.  It  may  no  doubt  be  long  since  there  has  been  any 
thing  like  an  extensive  worship  of  the  powers  of  Nature 
among  the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth,  but  there  may 
yet  be  found  even  at  the  present  day,  especially  among 
imaginative  races,  and  in  wild  and  mountainous  regions, 
a  lingering  belief  that  personal  agents  are  concerned  in 
the  more  startling  natural  phenomena. 

Such  a  belief  was  extensively  prevalent  during  the 
middle  ages,  and  whole  volumes  might  easily  be  filled  with 
an  account  of  mediceval  superstitions  and  legends  relating 
to  this  subject,  sometimes  dark  and  terrible,  and  at  other 
times  possessing  a  peculiar  and  pathetic  beauty  which  does 
not  belong  to  any  thing  else.  The  air,  the  earth,  and  the 
water,  have  all  been  peopled  with  spirits ;  some  of  them 
fi'iendly  to  man,  some  of  them  his  deadly  enemies.  They 
are  powerful,  and  conscious  of  their  power,  but  at  the  same 
time  profoundly  and  mournfully  aware  that  they  are  with- 
out a  soul.  Their  life  depends,  it  may  be,  upon  the  con- 
tinuance of  some  natural  object,  and  hence  for  them  there 
is  no  immortality.  Sometimes,  however,  an  elemental 
spirit  procures  a  soul  by  means  of  a  loving  union  with  one 
of  the  human  race,  and  the  beautiful  romance  of  Undine 
ig  built  upon  this  fancy. 

At  other  times  the  reverse  happens,  and  the  soul  of  the 
mortal  is  lost  who,  leaving  the  haunts  of  men,  associates 
with  these  soulless  but  often  amiable  and  affectionate  beings. 
"  The  Forsaken  Merman,"  by  Matthew  Arnold,  expresses 
this  fancy  in  a  very  beautiful  and  touching  manner : 

"  Children  dear,  was  it  yesterday 

(Call  once  more)  that  she  went  away  ? 
Once  she  sate  with  you  and  me 

On  a  red  gold  throne  in  the  heart  of  the  sea, 
And  the  youngest  sate  on  her  knee. 

She  combed  its  bright  hair,  and  she  tended  it  well, 
When  down  swung  the  sound  of  the  far-off  bell. 

She  sighed,  she  looked  up  through  the  clear  green  sea ; 


SUPERIOR  INTELLL 


She  said,  '  I  must  go,  for  my  kin! 

In  the  little  gray  church  on  th( 
'Twill  be  Easter-time  in  the  world- 

And  I  lose  my  poor  soul.  Merman,  here  wTl 
I  said,  '  Go  up,  dear  heart,  through  the  waves ; 

Say  thy  prayers  and  come  back  to  the  kind  sea-caves.' 
She  smiled,  she  went  up  through  the  surf  in  the  bay. 
Children  dear,  was  it  yesterday?  " 

186.  A  conception,  in  some  respects  analogous  to  that 
now  mentioned,  but  in  other  respects  very  different  from 
it,  is  that  which  attributes  a  soul  to  the  universe ;  and  it 
has  even  been  imagined  that  the  whole  visible  universe 
forms,  as  it  were,  one  gigantic  brain. 

Others  again  appear  inclined  to  believe  that  there  may 
be  many  cosmical  intelligences,  each  embracing  the  whole 
universe,  and  therefore  interpenetrating  one  another,  and  at 
the  same  time  taking  part  in  its  government  by  means  of 
such  processes  of  delicacy  as  those  we  have  mentioned. 

18Y.  ]N"ow,  before  proceeding  further  in  the  discussion 
of  these  speculations,  let  us  here  state  more  definitely  than 
we  have  yet  done  what  is  the  real  point  in  question. 

It  is  not  so  much  the  possibility  of  the  delicate  processes 
of  I^ature  being  directed  by  an  intelligent  agency ;  this  is 
in  reality  a  different  question,  and  one  which  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  our  concluding  chapter.  But  the  question  now 
before  us  is,  whether  any  such  agency  may  be  said  to  belong 
to  the  present  visible  universe. 

To  make  our  meaning  clear :  we  know  that  we  ourselves 
belong  to  the  present  visible  universe.  Again,  there  are 
many  of  us  w^ho  believe  that  angelic  intelligences  are  the 
ministers  of  God's  providence.  Now,  whether  this  doc- 
trine be  true  or  not  (and  we  are  not  now  concerned  about 
its  truth),  it  is  evident  that  such  intelligences  cannot  be 
said  to  belong  to  the  present  physical  universe.  The  or- 
ganization which  they  possess,  and  without  which  (Art.  61) 


140  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

we  cannot  imagine  a  finite  intelligence  to  exist,  is  most 
assuredly  nothing  that  can  be  perceived  by  our  bodilj^ 
senses,  nor  can  we  imagine  that  their  existence  is  at  all 
dependent  on  the  fate  of  the  visible  universe  ;  in  fine,  they 
do  not  belong  to  it. 

Our  present  question,  therefore,  is  whether  we  can  asso- 
ciate the  delicate  cosmical  processes  of  the  visible  universe 
with  the  operations  of  intelligences  residing  in  this  universe 
and  belonging  to  it,  and  to  this  question  we  must  assuredly 
give  a  negative  reply. 

188.  We  entertain  no  doubt  that  man  and  beings  at 
least  analogous  to  man  represent  the  highest  order  of  living 
things  connected  with  the  present  visible  universe. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  although  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence of  delicacy  of  construction  in  the  cosmical  processes 
of  this  universe,  there  is  no  evidence  of  an  organization 
such  as  that  which  observation  leads  us  to  associate  with 
the  presence  of  life. 

In  the  next  place,  whatever  view  we  may  entertain  of 
the  Darwinian  hypothesis  and  the  relation  of  man  to  the 
lower  animals,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  are  all  of  a 
similar  physical  construction.  What  physiologists  term 
the  matter  of  life  is  very  much  the  same  in  all,  so  that  the 
body  of  any  one  animal  may  aiFord  food  for  any  other. 
Now,  is  it  likely  that  there  are  two  living  systems,  ab- 
solutely distinct,  and  as  different  from  one  another  as  we 
can  well  imagine,  both  connected  with  the  visible  uni- 
verse ? 

We  think  this  view  would  imply  such  a  want  of  unit^^- 
in  the  plan  of  development  as  to  be  absolutely  fatal  to  its 
reception,  even  as  a  working  hypothesis.  On  these  ac- 
counts, therefore,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  dismiss  the  con- 
ception of  a  superior  order  of  beings  connected  with  the 
present  physical  universe  as  one  which  is  altogether  un- 
tenable. 


SUPERIOR  INTELLIGENCES.  141 

189.  If  we  now  turn  from  the  verdict  of  science  to  the 
sacred  writings  of  the  Jews,  we  find  that  one  grand  idea 
which  pervades  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament  is  man's 
absohite  superiority  and  practical  sovereignty  over  all 
created  beings  whom  he  can  perceive  otherwise  than  with 
the  mind^s  eye. 

He  is  supreme,  or  it  is  part  of  his  work  on  earth  to  be- 
come supreme,  over  all  that  can  be  perceived  by  his 
senses,  i.  e.,  all  the  visible  and  tangible  world.  Thus  we 
read  in  Gen.  i.  28 :  "  And  God  blessed  them :  and  God 
said  unto  them,  Be  fruitful,  and  multiply,  and  replenish 
the  earth,  and  subdue  it ;  and  have  dominion  over  the  fish 
of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  every 
living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the  earth." 

Again,  we  read  (Psalm  viii.  5,  6) :  "  For  thou  hast 
made  him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  hast  crowned 
him  with  glory  and  honor.  Thou  madest  him  to  have 
dominion  over  the  works  of  thy  hands ;  thou  hast  put  all 
things  under  his  feet."  [It  appears  that  the  correct  read- 
ing of  the  first  part  of  this  is,  "  Thou  hast  made  him  a 
little  less  than  divine,"  etc.] 

190.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  same  idea  is  still 
more  fully  developed  in  the  ]S"ew  Testament,  where  it  is 
confessed  that,  in  one  very  important  respect,  this  superi- 
ority of  man  is  seen  to  fail. 

He  has  greatly  enlarged  his  powers  over  ITature,  and 
has  by  these  means  much  ameliorated  the  condition  of  his 
race  ;  yet  death  overtakes  him  just  as  remorselessly  and  as 
ruthlessly  as  if  he  were  a  savage  of  no  account.  He  may 
meet  death  fearlessly,  conscious  that  he  has  at  least  done 
something  for  the  good  of  his  fellows.  But  what  does  it 
all  amount  to  %  Death  will  ultimately  overtake  the  race 
just  as  remorselessly  as  the  individual.  Now  it  is  this 
fearful  enemy,  this  terrible  exception  to  the  domination  of 
man,  that  Christ,  as  the  Son  and  type  of  man,  is  commis- 


142  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

sioned  to  destroy.  Thus  we  read  (1  Cor.  xv.  25) :  "  For  he 
must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet.  The 
last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death.  For  he  hath 
put  all  things  under  his  feet."  And  presently  (verse  54) 
the  apostle  breaks  forth  into  the  following  tiiumphant 
and  beautiful  language :  "  So  when  this  corruptible  shall 
have  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put 
on  immortality,  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  say- 
ing that  is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory." 
Again  we  read  (Heb.  ii.  8) :  "  For  in  that  he  put  all  in 
subjection  under  him,  he  left  nothing  that  is  not  put  under 
him.  But  now  we  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  him : 
but  we  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the  an- 
gels for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor ;  that  he  by  the  grace  of  God  should  taste  death 
for  every  man.  For  it  became  him,  for  whom  are  all 
things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons 
unto  glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect 
through  sufferings."  [Here  again  it  appears  that,  instead 
of  the  phrase  "  made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,"  we 
should  read,  ''  made  for  a  little  time  lower  than  the  an- 
gels " — i.  e.,  an  idea  identical  in  meaning  with  the  phrase 
"made  under  the  law,"  the  Old  Testament  law  being 
viewed  as  administered  by  angels.  From  this  dispensa- 
tion, in  which  cosmical  powers  come  between  man  and 
God,  Christ  frees  us,  by  himself  for  a  little  time  entering 
into  it,  and  even  under  it  meeting  death.] 

191.  From  all  this  we  may  conclude  that  both  science 
and  religion  tell  us  the  same  tale.  They  inform  us  that 
man,  and  beings  similar  to  man,  are  at  the  head  of  the 
visible  universe.  Ko  doubt  religion  informs  us,  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  that  there  are  other  beings  above  man,  but 
these  do  not  live  in  the  visible  universe,  but  in  that  which 
is  unseen  and  eternal. 


CHAPTEK  YII. 

THE   UNSEEN   UNIVERSE. 

•*  Rabbi  Jacob  said,  '  This  world  is  as  it  were  the  anteroom  of  the  world 
to  come.  Prepare  thyself  in  the  anteroom  so  that  thou  mayest  be  fit  to  en- 
ter the  banquet-room.'  " — Ifishna,  Pirke  Aboth,  chap,  iv.,  par.  16. 

*'  For  I  reckon  that  the  sufiferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to 
be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us.  For  the  earnest 
expectation  of  the  creature  waiteth  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of 
God."— St.  Paul  (Rom.  viii.  18,  19). 

"  Eternal  process  moving  on 

From  state  to  state  the  spirit  walks, 
And  these  are  but  the  shattered  stalks, 
Or  ruined  chrysalis  of  one." — Tennyson. 

192.  In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  examined  by 
the  light  of  our  present  knowledge  the  possibilities  con- 
tained in  the  visible  universe.  What  is  it  good  for  in  the 
way  of  immortality  ?  is  the  question  we  have  tried  to  an- 
swer. It  will  have  been  seen  that  the  reply  is  eminently 
unfavorable.  If  we  take  the  individual  man  to  begin 
with,  we  find  that  he  lives  his  short  tale  of  years,  and  that 
then  the  visible  machinery  which  connects  him  with  the 
past,  as  well  as  that  which  enables  him  to  act  in  the  pres- 
ent, falls  into  ruin  and  is  brought  to  an  end.  If  any  germ 
or  potentiality  remains,  it  is  certainly  not  connected  with 
the  visible  order  of  things. 

If  we  next  consider  the  human  race  we  shall  find  that 


144  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

the  state  of  advancement  to  which  they  have  attained  is 
greatly  due  to  their  physical  surroundings.  Coal  and  iron 
have  been  as  instrumental  in  promoting  knowledge  as 
Galileo  and  Newton,  but  both  of  these  materials  will  come 
to  an  end.  By  economy  it  may  be  possible  to  lengthen  out 
our  present  supplies,  but  is  it  not  manifest  that  we  are 
year  by  year  exhausting  them  as  sources  of  available  en- 
ergy? 

Are  we  not  inevitably  led  to  conclude  that  our  present 
state  cannot  last  even  for  a  lengthened  period,  but  will  be 
brought  to  an  end  long  before  the  inevitable  dissipation  of 
energy  shall  have  rendered  our  earth  unfit  for  habitation  ? 

193.  But  even  supposing  that  man,  in  some  form,  is  per- 
mitted to  remain  on  the  earth  for  a  long  series  of  years,  we 
merely  lengthen  out  the  period,  but  we  cannot  escape  the 
final  catastrophe.  The  earth  will  gradually  lose  its  energy 
of  rotation,  as  well  as  that  of  revolution  round  the  sun. 
The  sun  himself  will  wax  dim  and  become  useless  as  a 
source  of  energy,  until  at  last  the  favorable  condition  of  the 
present  solar  system  will  have  quite  disappeared. 

But  what  happens  to  our  system  will  happen  likewise 
to  the  whole  visible  universe  (Art.  116),  which  will  inevi- 
tably become  a  lifeless  mass,  if  indeed  it  be  not  doomed  to 
utter  dissolution.  In  fine,  it  will  become  old  and  effete, 
no  less  truly  than  the  individual — it  is  a  glorious  garment, 
this  visible  universe,  but  not  an  immortal  one — we  must 
look  elsewhere  if  we  are  to  be  clothed  with  immortality  as 
with  a  garment. 

194.  Kow,  if  we  regard  the  dissipation  of  energy  which 
is  constantly  going  on,  we  are  at  first  sight  forcibly  struck 
with  the  apparently  wasteful  character  of  the  arrangements 
of  the  visible  universe.  All  but  a  very  small  portion  of 
the  sun's  heat  goes  day  by  day  into  what  we  call  empty 
space,  and  it  is  only  this  very  small  remainder  that  is  made 
use  of  by  the  various  planets  for  purposes  of  their  own. 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  145 

Can  any  thing  be  more  perplexing  than  this  seemingly 
frightful  expenditure  of  the  very  life  and  essence  of  the 
system  ?  That  this  vast  store  of  high-class  energy  should 
be  doing  nothing  but  traveling  outward  in  space  at  the  rate 
of  188,000  miles  per  second  is  hardly  conceivable,  especially 
when  the  result  of  it  is  the  inevitable  destruction  of  the 
visible  universe. 

195.  If,  however,  we  continue  to  dwell  upon  this  as- 
tounding phenomenon,  we  begin  to  perceive  that  perhaps 
it  may  only  be  an  arrangement  in  virtue  of  which  our  uni- 
verse keeps  up  a  memory  of  the  past  at  the  expense  of  the 
present ;  for,  indeed,  all  memory  (Art.  59)  consists  in  an 
investiture  of  present  resources  in  order  to  keep  a  hold 
upon  the  past.  "We  have  seen  (Art.  149)  that  this  medium 
— ^this  ether — ^has  the  power  of  transmitting  motion  from 
one  part  of  the  universe  to  another.  A  picture  of  the  sun 
may  be  said  to  be  traveling  through  space  with  an  incon- 
ceivable velocity,  and,  in  fact,  continual  photographs  of  all 
occurrences  are  thus  produced  and  retained.  A  large  por- 
tion of  the  energy  of  the  universe  may  thus  be  said  to  be 
invested  in  such  pictures.  But  we  may  go  even  further 
than  luminif erous  vibration^  and  the  surfaces  of  bodies, 
since  the  law  of  cavitation  assures  us  that  any  displace- 
ment which  takes  place  in  the  very' heart  of  the  earth  will 
be  felt  throughout  the  universe,  and  we  may  even  imagine 
that  the  same  thing  will  hold  true  of  those  molecular  mo- 
tions (Art.  56)  which  accompany  thought.  For  every 
thought  that  we  think  is  accompanied  by  a  displacement 
and  motion  of  the  particles  of  the  brain,  and  somehow — ^in 
all  probability  by  means  of  the  medium — ^we  may  imagine 
that  these  motions  are  propagated  throughout  the  uni- 
verse. Views  of  this  nature  were  long  ago  entertained  by 
Babbage,  and  they  have  since  commended  themselves  to 
several  men  of  science,  and  among  others  to  Jevons.  "  Mr. 
7 


146  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

Babbage,"  says  this  author,*  "  has  pointed  out '  that  if  we 
had  power  to  follow  and  detect  the  minutest  effects  of  any 
disturbance,  each  particle  of  existing  matter  must  be  a 
register  of  all  that  has  happened." 

196.  We  ourselves  believe  that  the  explanation  of 
Nature's  apparent  prodigality  is  to  be  sought  for  in  such  a 
mode  of  viewing  things,  but  the  thought  requires  to  be 
carried  even  further  than  this.  For,  after  all,  it  may  be 
said,  what  is  the  use  of  this  enormous  sacrifice  of  present 
energy  in  order  to  keep  up  a  communication  with  the  past  ? 
If  this  visible  universe  were  intended  to  last  forever,  and 
to  afford  an  eternal  existence  to  intelligent  beings,  the 
theory  would  be  conceivable,  for  the  opportunity  of  realiz- 
ing the  past  of  the  universe  would  be  an  endless  source  of 
gratification  to  such  beings.  But,  far  from  lasting  for- 
ever, the  visible  universe  dies  from  the  very  efforts  which 
it  constantly  puts  forward  in  this  direction.  How,  then, 
can  it  be  said  that  this  effort  is  made  in  behalf  of  intelli- 
gent beings,  when  the  consequence  of  the  effort  is  the  de- 
struction of  life  ?    We  must  evidently  go  further  than  this. 

197.  Here  let  us  remind  our  readers  of  the  argument 
(Art.  84)  by  which  we  were  led  to  conclude  that  the  visible 
system  is  not  the  whole  universe,  but  only,  it  may  be,  a 
very  small  part  of  it ;  and  that  there  must  be  an  invisible 
order  of  things,  which  will  remain  and  possess  energy 
when  the  present  system  has  passed  away.  Furthermore, 
we  have  seen  that  an  argument  derived  from  the  beginning 
rather  than  the  end  of  things  (Art.  85)  assures  us  that  the 
invisible  universe  existed  before  the  visible  one.  From 
this  we  conclude  that  the  invisible  universe  exists  now, 
and  this  conclusion  will  be  strengthened  when  (Art.  215) 
we  come  to  discuss  the  nature  of  the  invisiWe  universe, 
and  to  see  that  it  cannot  possibly  have  been  changed  into 

^  "  Principles  of  Science,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  455. 
8  So-called  "  Ninth  Bridgewater  Treatise." 


THE   UNSJSEN  UNIVERSE.  147 

the  present,  but  must  exist  independently  now.  It  is, 
moreover,  very  closely  connected  with  the  present  system, 
inasmuch  as  this  may  be  looked  upon  as  having  come  into 
being  through  its  means  (Art.  215). 

Thus  we  are  led  to  believe  that  there  exists  now  an 
invisible  order  of  things  intimately  connected  with  the 
present,  and  capable  of  acting  energetically  upon  it — for, 
in  truth,  the  energy  of  the  present  system  is  to  be  looked 
upon  as  originally  derived  from  the  invisible  universe. 

198.  Now,  is  it  not  natural  to  imagine  that  a  universe 
of  this  nature,  which  we  have  reason  to  think  exists,  and  is 
connected  by  bonds  of  energy  with  the  visible  universe,  is 
also  capable  of  receiving  energy  from  it  ?  Whether  is  it 
more  likely  that  by  far  the  larger  portion  of  the  high-class 
energy  of  the  present  universe  is  traveling  outward  into 
space  with  an  immense  velocity,  or  that  it  is  gradually 
transferred  into  an  invisible  order  of  things?  May  we 
not  regard  ether,  or  the  medium,  as  not  merely  a  bridge 
between  one  portion  of  the  visible  universe  and  another, 
but  also  as  a  bridge  between  one  order  of  things  and 
another,  forming,  as  it  were,  a  species  of  cement,  in  virtue 
of  which  the  various  orders  of  the  universe  are  welded 
together  and  made  into  one  ?  In  fine,  what  we  generally 
call  ether  may  be  not  a  mere  medium,  but  a  medium  plus 
the  invisible  order  of  things,  so  that  when  the  motions  of 
the  visible  universe  are  transferred  into  ether,  part  of  them 
are  conveyed  as  by  a  bridge  into  the  invisible  universe, 
and  are  there  made  use  of  or  stored  up.  INTay,  is  it  even 
necessary  to  retain  the  conception  of  *  a  bridge  ?  May  we 
not  at  once  say  that,  when  energy  is  carried  from  matter 
into  ether,  it  is  carried  from  the  visible  into  the  invisible ; 
and  that,  when  it  is  carried  from  ether  to  matter,  it  is 
carried  from  the  invisible  into  the  visible? 

199.  If  we  now  turn  to  thought,  we  find  (Art.  59)  that, 
inasmuch  as  it  affects  the  substance  of  the  present  visible 


148  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

universe,  it  produces  a  material  organ  of  memory.  But 
the  motions  wliich  accompany  thought  will  also  affect  the 
invisible  order  of  things,  and  thus  it  follows  that  "  thought 
conceived  to  affect  the  matter  of  another  universe  simulta- 
neously  with  this  may  explain  a  future  state  "  {see  Ana- 
gram, Nature^  October  15,  1874). 

200.  This  idea,  however,  requires  further  development 
and  explanation.  Let  us  therefore  begin  by  supposing  that 
we  possess  a  frame,  or  the  rudiments  of  a  frame,  connect- 
ing us  with  the  invisible  universe,  which  we  may  call  the 
spiritual  body. 

Now  each  thought  that  we  think,  is  accompanied  by 
certain  molecular  motions  and  displacements  of  the  brain, 
and  part  of  these,  let  us  allow,  are  in  some  way  stored  up 
in  that  organ,  so  as  to  produce  what  may  be  termed  our 
material  or  physical  memory.  Other  parts  of  these  motions 
are,  however,  communicated  to  the  spiritual  or  invisible 
body,  and  are  there  stored  up,  forming  a  memory  which 
may  be  made  use  of  when  that  body  is  free  to  exercise  its 
functions. 

201.  Again,  one  of  the  arguments  (Art.  81)  which 
prove  the  existence  of  the  invisible  universe  demands  that 
it  shall  be  full  of  energy  when  the  present  universe  is  de- 
funct. We  can  therefore  very  well  imagine  that  after  death, 
when  the  spiritual  body  is  free  to  exercise  its  functions,  it 
may  be  replete  with  energy,  and  have  eminently  the  power 
of  action  in  the  present,  retaining  also,  as  we  have  shown 
above,  a  hold  upon  the  past,  inasmuch  as  the  memory  of 
past  events  has  been  stored  up  in  it,  and  thus  preserving  the 
two  essential  requisites  (Art  61)  of  a  continuous  intelligent 
existence. 

202.  The  conception  of  an  unseen  universe  is  not  a  new 
one,  even  among  men  of  science.  The  deservedly  famous 
13r.  Thomas  Young  has  the  following  passage  in  his  lect- 
ures on  Natural  Philosophy :  "  Besides  this  porosity,  there 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  149 

is  still  room  for  the  supposition  that  even  the  ultimate 
particles  of  matter  may  be  permeable  to  the  causes  of 
attractions  of  various  kinds,  especially  if  those  causes  are 
immaterial :  nor  is  there  any  thing  in  the  unprejudiced 
study  of  physical  philosophy  that  can  induce  us  to  doubt 
the  existence  of  immaterial  substances ;  on  the  contrary, 
we  see  analogies  that  lead  us  almost  directly  to  such  an 
opinion.  The  electrical  fluid  is  supposed  to  be  essentially 
different  from  common  matter;  the  general  medium  of 
light  and  heat,  according  to  some,  or  the  principle  of 
caloric,  according  to  others,  is  equally  distinct  from  it.  We 
see  forms  of  matter,  differing  in  subtilty  and  mobility, 
linder  the  names  of  solids,  liquids,  and  gases ;  above  these 
are  the  semi-material  existences,  which  produce  the  phe- 
nomena of  electricity  and  magnetism,  and  either  caloric  or 
a  universal  ether.  Higher  still,  perhaps,  are  the  causes  of 
gravitation,  and  the  immediate  agents  in  attractions  of  all 
kinds,  which  exhibit  some  phenomena  apparently  still  more 
remote  from  all  that  is  compatible  with  material  bodies. 
And  of  these  different  orders  of  beings,  the  more  refined 
and  immaterial  appear  to  pervade  freely  the  grosser.  It 
seems,  therefore,  natural  to  believe  that  the  analogy  may  be 
continued  still  further,  until  it  rises  into  existence  abso- 
lutely immaterial  and  spiritual.  We  know  not  but  that 
thousands  of  spiritual  worlds  may  exist  unseen  forever  by 
human  eyes ;  nor  have  we  any  reason  to  suppose  that  even 
the  presence  of  matter,  in  a  given  spot,  necessarily  excludes 
these  existences  from  it.  Those  who  maintain  that  Nature 
always  teems  with  life,  wherever  living  beings  can  be  placed, 
may  therefore  speculate  with  freedom  on  the  possibility  of 
independent  worlds;  some  existing  in  different  parts  of 
space,  others  pervading  each  other  unseen  and  unknown,  in 
the  same  space,  and  others  again  to  which  space  may  not 
be  a  necessary  mode  of  existence." 

203.  The  only  remark  that  we  would  make  upon  this 


150  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

most  beautiful  and  comprehensive  passage,  with  the  spirit 
of  which  we  entirely  agree,  is,  that  the  author  does  not  use 
the  words  material  and  immaterial  precisely  in  our  sense 
of  these  terms.  He  is  inclined  to  imagine  the  possibility 
of  an  immaterial  existence  being  yet  trammeled  with  re- 
gard to  space ;  whereas,  to  our  mind,  such  trammels  (Art. 
54)  necessarily  constitute  matter.  If  we  substitute  for 
matter  the  words  gi'oss  matter,  and  for  immaterial  the 
words  not  grossly  material,  we  shall  be  very  nearly  at 
one. 

204.  It  may  now  be  desirable  to  reply  by  anticipation 
to  certain  objections  which  are  likely  to  be  made  to  the 
theory  we  have  proposed.  Let  us  divide  these  into  three 
categories — religious,  theological,  and  scientific. 

Ohjection  First  {Religious). — It  may  be  said  to  us, 
"  Who  are  you  who  are  wise  beyond  what  is  written  ?  Are 
ye  of  them  to  whom  it  was  said  of  old,  '  Eritis  sicut  Deus 
scientes  bonum  et  malum  ? '  Beware  of  the  words  of  the 
great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles :  ^daKovre^  ehai,  ao(j)ol, 
ifKopapOrjaavJ^ 

Re^ly. — As  we  have  already  said  (Art.  50),  we  do  not 
write  for  those  who  are  so  assured  of  the  truth  of  their  re- 
ligion that  they  are  unable  to  entertain  the  smallest  objec- 
tion to  it.  We  write  for  honest  inquirers — for  honest 
doubters,  it  may  be,  who  desire  to  know  what  science,  when 
allowed  perfect  liberty  of  thought  and  loyally  followed, 
has  to  say  upon  those  points  which  so  much  concern  us  all. 
We  are  content  to  view  the  universe  from  the  physical 
stand-point ;  you  may  therefore  perchance  esteem  us  of  the 
earth  earthy ;  nevertheless  we  think  that  our  strength  lies 
in  keeping  up  a  communication  with  those  verities  w^hich 
we  all  acknowledge. 

205.  Ohjection  Second  {Theological). — Your  idea  of  the 
spiritual  universe  is  analogous  to  that  of  Swedenborg,  and 
we  must  therefore  dismiss  it  as  untrue,  inasmuch  as  we  can 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  151 

only  recognize  tlie  assumption  of  the  spiritual  body  after 
the  resurrection. 

Rejply. — All  that  we  have  done  is  to  remove  the  scien- 
tific objection  to  a  future  state,  supposed  to  be  furnished 
by  the  principle  of  Continuity.  We  know  nothing  about 
the  laws  of  this  state,  and  conceive  it  quite  possible,  if 
otherwise  likely,  that  the  spiritual  body  may  remain  veiled 
or  in  abeyance  until  the  resurrection.  We  only  maintain 
that  we  are  logically  constrained  to  admit  the  existence  of 
some  frame  or  organ  not  of  this  earth,  which  survives  dis- 
solution— if  we  regard  the  principle  of  Continuity  and  the 
doctrine  of  immortality  as  both  true. 

206.  Ohjection  Third  {Theological), — Your  argument 
will  apply  to  the  brute  creation  as  well  as  to  man ;  now  we 
cannot  recognize  the  immortality  of  the  brutes. 

B,e}?ly. — As  before  stated,  we  know  nothing  about  the 
laws  of  the  invisible  universe,  except  that  it  is  related  by 
bonds,  probably  of  energy,  to  the  present.  All  we  have 
attempted  has  been  to  remove  an  objection  to  the  doctrine 
of  immortality  which  has  been  wrongly  put  forth  as  scien- 
tific, or  at  least  as  consistent  with  scientific  knowledge. 

207.  Objection  Fourth  {Scientific). — If  there  be,  as  you 
say,  this  duality  in  the  present  human  frame,  how  can  the 
spiritual  part  remain  latent  so  long  as  it  does  ?  Even  if 
trammeled  by  the  grosser  substance,  we  might  expect  that, 
at  least  on  rare  occasions,  it  should  somehow  manifest  itself. 

Beply. — As  a  matter  of  fact  we  know  that  ordinary 
consciousness  can  remain  latent  or  inactive  for  hours,  if 
not  for  days,  and  then  return  to  us  again.  There  would  be 
force  in  this  objection  if  it  were  not  true  that  conscious- 
ness is  capable  of  entering  into  ,the  dormant  or  quiescent 
state. 

Again,  it  is  possible  that  there  have  been  and  that  there 
are  occasional  manifestations  of  this  spiritual  nature. 

For,  in  the  Christian  records,  visible  manifestations  of 


152  THE  UNSEEN'  UNIVERSE, 

the  spiritual  element,  even  in  this  life,  are  asserted  to  have 
taken  place  on  rare  occasions.  But,  if  you  have  dismissed 
these  manifestations  as  inconceivable,  you  cannot  now  bring 
their  absence  forward  as  an  objection. 

208.  Objection  Fifth  {ScientifiS).  —  Your  doctrine  of 
immortality  does  violence  to  that  great  principle,  the  con- 
servation of  energy.  For  it  is  manifest  that,  if  energy  is 
transferred  from  the  visible  into  the  invisible  universe,  its 
constancy  in  the  present  universe  can  no  longer  be  main- 
tained. 

Reiyly. — In  reply  to  this  objection  we  assert  the  conser- 
vation of  energy  as  a  principle  applicable  to  the  whole  uni- 
verse, and  not  to  one  portion  of  it,  except  under  special 
limitations.  It  is  only  by  assuming  the  continual  passage 
through  ether  of  a  large  portion  of  the  energy  of  the  visi- 
ble universe  that  the  doctrine  as  at  present  held  can  be 
maintained.  Now,  the  only  addition  that  our  theory  de- 
mands is  the  gradual  absorption  of  some  part  at  least  of 
this  energy  into  the  invisible  universe ;  and  we  have  said 
(Art.  147)  that  it  has  been  supposed  that  there  is  evidence 
of  an -absorption  of  this  nature.  It  may  safely  be  said  that 
our  hypothesis  is  not  upset,  and  never  can  be  upset,  by  any 
experimental  conclusion  with  regard  to  energy. 

209.  Ohjection  Sixth  {Scientific). — We  cannot  under- 
stand how  individuality  is  to  be  preserved  in  the  spiritual 
world. 

Reply, — This  is  no  new  difficulty.  We  are  as  much 
puzzled  by  what  takes  place  in  our  present  body  as  we 
can  be  with  respect  to  the  spiritual.  Thus,  let  us  allow 
that  impressions  are  stored  up  in  our  brains,  which  thus 
form  an  organ  connecting  us  with  the  past  of  the  visible 
universe.  Now  thousands,  perhaps  even  millions,  of  such 
impressions  pass  into  the  same  organ,  and  yet,  by  the  oper- 
ation of  our  will,  we  can  concentrate  our  recollection  upon 
a  certain  event,  and  rummage  out  its  details,  along  with 


TEE  UXSEEI^  UmVEBSE.  153 

all  its  collateral  circumstances,  to  the  exclusion  of  every 
thing  else.  But  if  the  brain  or  something  else  plays  such 
a  wonderful  part  in  the  present  economy,  is  it  impossible 
to  imagine  that  the  universe  of  the  future  may  have  even 
greater  individualizing  powers  ?  Is  it  not  very  hazardous 
to  assert  this  or  that  mode  of  existence  to  be  impossible  in 
such  a  wonderful  whole  as  we  feel  sure  the  universe  must 
be? 

210.  Objection  Seventh  {ScientiJiG). — Even  if  it  be  al- 
lowed that  the  invisible  universe  receives  energy  from  the 
present,  so  that  the  conservation  of  energy  holds  good  as  a 
principle,  yet  the  dissipation  of  energy  must  hold  true  also, 
and  although  the  process  of  decay  may  be  delayed  by  the 
storing  up  of  energy  in  the  invisible  universe,  it  cannot  be 
permanently  arrested.  Ultimately  we  must  believe  that 
every  part  of  the  whole  universe  will  be  equally  su])plied 
with  energy,  and  in  consequence  all  abrupt  living  motion 
will  come  to  an  end. 

Reply. — Perhaps  the  best  reply  to  this  objection  is,  to 
regard  the  universe  as  an  infinite  whole — a  thought  which 
will  be  developed  in  what  follows  of  this  book.  For -it  is 
clear  that  if  the  universe  be  infinite,  and  contain  within 
itself  an  infinite  supply  of  energy,  we  may  imagine  it  to  go 
on  from  eternity  to  eternity  without  the  possibility  of  be- 
coming effete.  Besides,  what  is  to  prove  dissipation  in  the 
universe  of  the  future  %  We  have  seen  (Art.  112)  how 
Clerk-Maxwell's  demons  (though  essentially  finite  intelli- 
gences) could  be  made  to  restore  energy  in  the  present 
universe  without  spending  work.  Much  more  may  be  ex- 
pected in  a  universe  free  from  gross  matter. 

211.  Having  replied  to  these  objections,  let  us  now 
endeavor  to  realize  our  present  position.  It  is  briefly  as 
follows :  What  we  have  done  is  to  show  that  immortality 
is  possible,  and  to  demolish  any  so-called  scientific  objec- 
tion that  might  be  raised  against  it.     The  evidence  in  favor 


154  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

of  the  doctrine  is  not  derived  from  us.  It  comes  to  us 
from  two  sources :  in  the  first  place,  from  the  statements 
made  concerning  Christ ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  from 
that  intense  longing  for  immortality  which  civilized  man 
has  invariably  possessed.  The  case  stands  thus:  certain 
evidence  from  these  two  sources  in  favor  of  our  doctrine 
has  been  adduced,  but  scientific  objections  have  been 
raised  against  the  possibility  of  the  doctrine  itself,  and 
these  we  have  attempted  to  overcome.  But  while  we  may 
suppose  the  objections  to  the  doctrine  itself  surmounted, 
there  yet  remains  an  equally  strong  scientific  objection  to 
that  portion  of  the  evidence  in  favor  of  the  doctrine  which 
is  derived  from  the  Christian  records.  Granting,  it  may 
be  said  to  us,  that  immortality  is  possible,  what  reason  have 
we,  beyond  certain  vague  yearnings,  for  believing  it  likely  ? 
!N^o  doubt,  if  Christ  rose  from  the  dead,  the  probability  in 
favor  of  it  would  be  very  strong ;  but  we  have  an  objec- 
tion to  the  resurrection  of  Christ  no  less  formidable  than 
that  which  you  have  overcome  with  regard  to  the  doctrine 
itself. 

212.  It  will  now  be  our  duty  to  examine  the  validity  of 
this  objection,  and  in  so  doing  we  must  approach  the  prob- 
lem of  the  universe  not  f j*om  the  side  of  the  future  but 
from  that  of  the  past. 

We  have  already  (Art.  85)  defined  the  principle  of 
Continuity,  in  virtue  of  which  we  believe  ourselves  entitled 
to  discuss  every  event  that  occurs  in  the  universe,  without 
one  single  exception,  and  to  deduce  from  it,  if  we  can,  the 
condition  of  things  that  preceded  the  event — this  being 
also  in  the  universe.  N^ow,  we  learn  by  means  of  that 
great  physical  principle,  the  dissipation  of  energy,  that 
the  visible  universe  cannot  have  lasted  forever,  but  must 
have  made  its  appearance  in  time ;  and  applying  to  this 
stupendous  event,  not  irreverently,  but  in  hopeful  trust, 
the  principle  of  Continuity,  we  ask  ourselves  the  ques- 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE,  155 

tion,  What  state  of  things,  also  in  the  universe,  what  con- 
ceivable antecedent,  can  have  given  rise  to  this  unparal- 
leled phenomenon — an  antecedent,  we  need  hardly  say, 
that  must  have  operated  from  the  invisible  universe  ?  It 
is  a  great  and  awful  phenomenon,  but  we  must  not  shrink 
before  size ;  we  must  not  be  terrified  by  the  magnitude 
of  the  event  out  of  reliance  upon  our  principles  of  discus- 
sion. 

ITow,  if  we  regard  the  appearance  of  the  visible  uni- 
verse and  approach  it  as  we  would  any  other  phenomenon, 
we  have  only  two  alternatives  before  us.  Creation  is  not 
one  of  these,  inasmuch  as  we  are  carried  by  such  an  act  out 
of  the  universe  altogether.  We  are,  tlierefore,  driven  to 
look  to  some  kind  of  development  as  the  cause  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  visible  universe..  This  development  may 
either  have  been  through  the  living  or  through  the  dead ; 
either  it  was  the  result  of  a  natural  operation  of  the  in- 
visible universe,  or  it  •  was  brought  about  by  means  of  in- 
telligence residing  in  that  universe  and  working  through 
its  laws.  To  determine  which  of  these  two  alternatives  is 
most  admissible,  we  must  bear  in  mind  the  nature  of  the 
production,  and  argue  about  it  just  as  we  should  argue 
about  any  thing  else. 

213.  Now,  this  production  was,  as  far  as  we  can  judge, 
a  sporadic  or  abrupt  act,  and  the  substance  produced — that 
is  to  say,  the  atoms  which  form  the  material  substratum  of 
the  present  universe — bears  (as  Herschel  and  Clerk-Maxwell 
have  well  said),  from  its  uniformity  of  constitution,  all  the 
marks  of  being  a  manufactured  article. 

Whether  we  regard  the  various  elementary  atoms  as 
separate  productions,  or  (according  to  Prout  and  Lockyer) 
view  them  as  produced  by  the  coming  together  of  some 
smaller  kind  of  primordial  atom,  in  either  case,  and  even 
specially  so  in  the  latter  case,  we  think  that  they  look  like 
manufactured  articles.      Indeed,  we  have  already  shown 


156  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

(Art.  164)  that  development  without  life,  that  is  to  say, 
dead  development,  does  not  tend  to  produce  uniformity  of 
structure  in  the  products  which  it  gives  rise  to. 

214.  Thus  the  argument  is  in  favor  of  the  production 
of  the  visible  universe  by  means  of  an  intelligent  agency 
residing  in  the  invisible  universe. 

But,  again,  let  us  realize  the  position  in  which  we  are 
placed  by  the  principle  of  Continuity — we  are  led  by  it 
not  only  to  regard  the  invisible  universe  as  having,  existed 
before  the  present  one,  but  the  same  principle  drives  us  to 
acknowledge  its  existence  in  some  form  as  a  universe  from 
all  eternity.  Now  we  can  readily  conceive  a  universe  con- 
taining conditioned  intelligent  beings  to  have  existed  be- 
fore the  present ;  nay,  to  have  existed  for  a  time  greater 
than  any  assignable  time,  which  is  the  only  way  in  which 
our  thoughts  can  approach  the  eternal.  But  is  it  equally 
easy  to  conceive  a  dead  universe  to  have  existed  in  the 
same  way  during  immeasurable  ages  ? »  Is  a  dead  universe 
a  fully-conditioned  universe  1  For,  regarding  the  laws  of 
the  universe  as  those  laws  according  to  which  the  intelli- 
gences of  the  universe  are  conditioned  by  the  Governor 
thereof,  can  we  conceive  a  dead  universe  to  exist  perma- 
nently without  some  being  to  be  conditioned  ?  Is  not  this 
something  without  meaning,  an  unreality — a  make-believe  ? 
And  if  it  be  said  that  under  these  circumstances  the  con- 
ception in  any  f  onn  of  immeasurable  ages  of  time  is  un- 
real, we  may  reply  by  granting  it,  and  asserting  that  in 
such  a  case  we  are  driven  not  merely  from  the  fully  condi- 
tioned to  the  partially  conditioned,  but  even  to  the  uncon- 
ditioned ;  in  other  words,  the  hypothesis  of  a  permanently 
dead  universe  would  hardly  appear  to  satisfy  the  principle 
of  Continuity,  which  prefers  to  proceed  from  one  foi-m  of 
the  fully  conditioned  to  another. 

215.  For  the  benefit  of  our  readers  we  shall  now  en- 
deavor to  review  as  clearly  as  we  can  the  point  at  which 


TEE  UFSEEN'  UmVERSE.  15T 

we  have  arrived,  and  the  steps  which  have  brought  us 
to  it. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  our  definition  (Art.  54) 
we  agreed  to  look  upon  the  Creator — the  Absolute  One — as 
conditioning  the  universe,  confining  the  term  universe  to 
that  which  is  conditioned.  Thus  we  conceive  a  stone  to 
be  in  the  universe,  we  conceive  a  man  to  be  in  the  universe, 
and  to  work  in  it,  but  we  conceive  Absolute  Deity  to  be 
above  the  universe  rather  than  to  work  in  it  in  any  way 
analogous  to  that  in  which  a  man  works  in  it.  Would 
there  not  be  a  confusion  of  thought  if  we  regarded  the 
same  person  as  conditioning  and  yet  conditioned  ?  Now, 
what  the  principle  of  Continuity  demands  is  an  endless  de- 
vevelopment  of  the  conditioned.  We  claim  it  as  the  her- 
itage of  intelligence  that  there  shall  be  an  endless  vista, 
reaching  from  eternity  to  eternity,  in  each  link  of  which 
we  shall  be  led  only  from  one  form  of  the  conditioned  to 
another,  never  from  the  conditioned  to  the  unconditioned 
or  absolute,  which  would  be  to  us  no  better  than  an  im- 
penetrable intellectual  barrier.  It  has  also  been  seen  that 
in  this  endless  chain  of  conditioned  existence  we  cannot  be 
satisfied  with  a  make-believe  universe,  or  one-  consisting 
only  of  dead  matter,  but  prefer  a  living,  intelligent  uni- 
verse, in  other  words,  one  fully  conditioned.  Finally,  our 
argument  has  led  us  to  regard  the  production  of  the  visible 
universe  as  brought  about  by  an  intelligent  agency  residing 
in  the  unseen. 

216,  We  have  arrived  at  this  result  from  general  prin- 
ciples, and  without  any  definite  theory  as,  to  the  modus 
operandi  of  the  intelligent  developing  agency  which  re- 
sides in  the  unseen  universe.  When  we  keep  to  well-as- 
certained principles  we  are  on  solid  ground,  but  when  we 
speculate  on  the  method  by  which  the  development  is  ac- 
complished, we  enter  a  very  different  region,  where  the 
chances  are  greatly  against  our  particular  hypothesis  rep- 


158  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

resenting  the  truth.  Nevertheless,  for  the  salce  of  Iring- 
ing  our  ideas  in  a  concrete  form  hefore  the  reader,  and 
for  this  jpurjyose  only,  we  will  now  adopt  a  definite  hy- 
pothesis. Let  us  begin  by  supposing  an  intelligent  agent 
in  the  present  visible  universe — that  is  to  say,  a  man — to  be 
developing  vortex-rings — smoke-riugs,  let  us  imagine. 
Now,  these  smoke-rings  are  found  to  act  upon  one  another, 
just  as  if  they  were  things  or  existences ;  nevertheless, 
their  existence  is  ephemeral ;  they  only  last  a  few  seconds. 
But  we  may  imagine  them  to  constitute  tlie  grossest  possi- 
ble form  of  material  existence.  Now,  each  smoke-ring  has 
in  it  a  multitude  of  smaller  particles  of  air  and  smoke,  each 
of  these  particles  being  the  molecules  of  which  the  present 
visible  universe  is  composed.  These  molecules  are  of  a 
vastly  more  refined  and  delicate  organization  than  the  large 
smoke-ring  ;  they  have  lasted  many  millions  of  years,  and 
will  perhaps  last  many  millions  more.  Nevertheless,  let 
ns  imagine  that  they  had  a  beginning,  and  that  they  will 
also  come  to  an  end  similar  to  that  of  the  smoke-ring.  In 
fact,  just  as  the  smoke-ring  was  developed  out  of  ordinary 
molecules,  so  we  imagine  ordinary  molecules  to  be  devel- 
oped as  vertex-rings  out  of  something  much  finer  and 
more  subtile  than  themselves,  which  we  have  agreed  to  call 
the  invisible  universe.  But  we  may  pursue  the  same  train 
of  thought  still  further  back,  and  imagine  the  entities 
which  constitute  the  invisible  universe  immediately  preced- 
ing ours  to  be  in  themselves  ephemeral,  although  not  near- 
ly to  the  same  extent  as  the  atoms  of  our  universe,  and  to 
have  been  formed  in  their  turn  as  vortex-rings  out  of  some 
still  subtiler  and  more  enduring  substance.  In  fine,  there 
is  no  end  to  such  a  process,  but  we  are  led  on  from  rank 
to  rank  of  the  order  imagined  by  Dr.  Thomas  Young,  or 
by  Prof.  Jevons,  when  he  says  that  "  the  smallest  par- 
ticle of  solid  substance  may  consist  of  a  vast  number  of 
systems  united  in  regular  order,  each  bounded  by  the  other, 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVEE8E. 


159 


communicating  with  it  in  some  manner  yet  wholly  incom- 
prehensible." Our  meaning  will  be  made  clear  by  the  fol- 
lowing diagram : 


Here  (0)  denotes  the  evanescent  smoke-ring,  (1)  the 
visible  universe,  (2)  the.  invisible  universe  immediately  an- 
terior to  the  present,  (3)  that  of  the  next  order,  and  so  on. 

Again,  (0)  is  developed  out  of  (1) ;  (1)  is  developed  out 
of  (2)  ;  (2)  out  of  (3)  ;  (3)  out  of  (4),  and  so  on.  Further, 
(1)  both  precedes  and  follows  (0)  in  point  of  duration, 
while  (2)  bears  a  similar  relation  to  (1),  (3)  to  (2),  and 
so  on. 

Again,  the  material  substance  of  (0)  is  a  phenomenon 
of  that  of  (1),  that  of  (1)  a  phenomenon  of  that  of  (2),  and 
so  on.  Go  back  as  far  as  we  choose,  we  are  only  led  from 
one  phenomenon  to  another ;  so  that,  as  far  as  their  essential 
nature  is  concerned,  all  are  equally  phenomenal,  and  the 
mind  cannot  repose  in  any  order  as  its  ultimate  haven 


160         THE  UNSEEN-  UNIVERSE. 

of  thought,  but  is  driven  inexorably  forward  to  look  for 
something  different. 

We  see  too,  that,  as  far  as  energy  is  concerned,  that  of 
(1)  is  greater  than  that  of  (0),  inasmuch  as  (1)  develops 
(0),  that  of  (2)  greater  than  that  of  (1),  inasmuch  as  (2) 
develops  (1),  and  so  on.  Therefore,  if  we  go  infinitely  far 
back,  we  shall  be  led  to  a  universe  possessing  infinite 
energy,  and  of  which  the  intelligent  developing  agency 
possesses  infinite  energy. 

It  will  also  be  seen  that,  inasmuch  as  all  these  various 
orders  exist  together  at  the  present  moment,  the  energy  of 
their  sum  must  be  infinite,  and  this  energy  will  never  come 
to  an  end.  In  other  >vords,  the  Great  Whole  is  infinite  in 
energy,  and  will  last  from  eternity  to  eternity. 

217.  ISTow,  what  means  this  mysterious,  infinitely  ener- 
getic, intelligent  developing  agency  residing  in  the  universe, 
and  therefore  in  some  sense  conditioned  ?  In  endeavoring 
to  reply  to  this  question,  we  cannot  do  better  than  consult 
the  Christian  records. 

These  records,  as  they  are  interpreted  by  the  majority 
of  the  disciples  of  Christ,  are  believed  to  lead  to  a  conception 
of  the  Godhead,  in  which  there  is  a  plurality  of  persons,  but 
a  unity  of  substance.  It  ought,  however,  to  be  remembered 
that  here  the  word  person  does  not  mean  the  same  thing 
as  it  does  when  applied  to  ourselves,  but  only  denotes 
some  distinction  that  may  be  regarded  as  best  expressed 
by  this  word.  Our  idea  of  person  or  individual  is  derived 
solely  from  our  experience  in  that  position  which  we  occupy 
in  the  universe. 

218.  The  first  Person  in  this  Trinity,  God  the  Father, 
is  represented  as  the  unapproachable  Creator — the  Being  in 
virtue  of  whom  all  things  exist. 

Thus  it  is  said  (John  i.  18),  "  l^o  man  hath  seen  God  at 
any  time ;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him." 


THE  UI^SEEN  UmVEESE.  161 

Again,  Paul  tells  ns  (Eom.  xi.  36),  "  For  of  liim  and 
through  him  and  to  him  are  all  things."  Also  (1  Cor.  viii. 
6),  "  But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  the  Father,  of  whom 
are  all  things,  and  we  in  him,  (et?  avrov) ;  and  one  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  bj  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  by  him." 

Also  (Eph.  iv.  6),  "  One  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is 
above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  all."  Also  (1  Timothy 
vi.  16),  "Who  only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  the  light 
which  no  man  can  approach  unto ;  whom  no  man  hath 
seen,  nor  can  see." 

219.  Again,  of  the  second  Person  of  the  Trinity  we 
are  told,  in  addition  to  what  we  gather  from  the  expres- 
sions just  quoted  (John  i.  1) :  "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
"Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was 
God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All 
things  were  made  by  him,  and  without  him  was  not  any 
thing  made  that  was  made." 

Again  (2  Cor.  v.  10) :  "  For  we  must  all  appear  before 
the  judgment-seat  of  Christ." 

Again  (Col.  i.  15  and  16):  "Who  is  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  the  first-bom  of  every  creature :  For  by  him 
were  all  things  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are  in 
earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  they  be  thrones,  or 
dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers." 

Again  (Heb.  i.  1  and  2) :  "  God  who  at  sundry  times 
and  in  divers  manners  spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fathers 
by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by 
his  Son,  whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all  things,  by 
whom  also  he  made  the  worlds." 

220.  It  is,  we  believe,  a  prevalent  idea  among  theologi- 
ans that  these  passages  indicate,  in  the  first  place,  the  exist- 
ence of  an  unapproachable  Creator — the  unconditional  One 
who  is  spoken  of  as  God  the  Father;  and  that  they  also  in- 
dicate the  existence  of  another  Being  of  the  same  substance 
as  the  Father,  but  different  in  person,  and  who  has  agreed  to 


162  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

develop  the  will  of  the  Father,  and  thus  in  some  mysterious 
sense  to  submit  to  conditions  and  to  enter  into  the  uni- 
verse. The  relation  of  this  Being  to  the  Father  is  ex- 
pressed in  Hebrews  '  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist :  "  Then 
said  I,  Lo,  I  come :  in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written 
of  me,  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God ;  yea,  thy  law 
is  within  my  heart."  In  fine,  such  a  Being  would  repre- 
sent that  conditioned  yet  infinitely  powerful  developing 
agent  which  the  universe,  objectively  considered,  appears 
to  lead  up  to.  His  work  is  twofold,  for,  in  the  first  place, 
he  develops  the  various  universes  or  orders  of  being  ;  and, 
secondly,  in  some  mysterious  way  he  becomes  himself*  the 
type  and  pattern  of  each  order,  the  representative  of  Deity, 
as  far  as  the  beings  of  that  order  can  comprehend,  especially 
manifesting  such  divine  qualities  as  could  not  otherwise  be 
brought  to  light. 

Such  a  being  is  therefore,  in  virtue  of  his  office,  the 
King  of  angels  and  ruler  of  the  invisible  universe,  and  to 
him  the  words  in  the  poem  of  Job  are  supposed  to  apply 
(Job  i.  6) :  "  Now  there  was  a  day  when  the  Sons  of  God 
came  to  present  themselves  before  the  Lord,  and  Satan 
came  also  among  them." 

221.  It  would  thus  appear  that  what  may  be  termed 
the  Christian  theory  of  development  has  a  twofold  aspect, 
a  descent  and  an  ascent ;  the  descent  of  the  Son  of  God 
through  the  various  grades  of  existence,  and  the  consequent 
ascent  of  the  intelligences  of  each  led  up  by  him  to  a 
higher  level — a  stooping  on  the  part  of  the  developing 
Being,  in  order  that  there  may  be  a  mounting  up  on  the 
part  of  the  developed.  Thus  it  is  said  (John  iii.  16) :  ''And 
no  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  he  that  came 
down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in 
heaven."  Again  (Eph.  iv.  9):  "Now  that  he  ascended, 
what  is  it  but  that  he  also  descended  first  into  the  lower 

» Heb.  X.  7. 


THE  UNSEEN'  UNIVERSE.  163 

parts  of  the  earth  ?  He  that  descended  is  the  same  also 
that  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens,  that  he  might  fill 
all  things." 

222.  It  is  naturally  in  accordance  with  these  views  that 
the  angelic  host  should  be  represented  as  taking  an  intel- 
ligent interest,  even  if  they  did  not,  as  the  Gnostics  thought, 
take  an  active  part  in  the  creation  of  the  visible  universe. 
Thus  the  Lord  is  represented  as  asking  Job  (Job  xxxviii. 
4) :  "  Where  wast  thou  when  I  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
earth  ?  declare,  if  thou  hast  understanding.  Who  hath 
laid  the  measures  thereof,  if  thou  knowest  ?  or  who  hath 
stretched  the  line  upon  it  ?  Whereupon  are  the  founda- 
tions thereof  fastened  ?  or  who  laid  the  corner-stone  there- 
of, when  the  morning-stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons 
of  God  shouted  for  joy." 

223.  It  is  also  in  accordance  with  these  views  that  the 
same  hierarchy  should  take  an  intelligent  interest  in  the 
life  of  Christ.  Thus  we  read  (Luke  ii.  13),  "  And  sud- 
denly there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly 
host  praising  God,  and  saying.  Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 
est, and  on  earth  peace,  good- will  toward  men."  And  again 
(1  Timothy  iii.  16) :  "  And  without  controversy  great  is  the 
mystery  of  godliness :  God  was  manifest  in  tlie  flesh,  jus- 
tified in  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles, believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory." 

■  224.  It  will  be  remarked  that  the  views  which  we  have 
now  put  before  our  readers  have  been  developed  more  es- 
pecially from  the  objective  point  of  T>iew,  and  that  our 
reasoning  has  been  founded  on  the  principle  of  Continuity 
as  applied  to  the  outward  universe.  In  truth,  we  seem  to 
get  a  much  firmer  and  more  tangible  hold  on  the  objective 
element  of  the  universe,  that  is  to  say,  on  energy  (Art. 
103),  than  we  can  on  intelligence  and  life.  For,  if  we  ap- 
proach our  individual  consciousness,  it  is  very  manifest 
that  we  have  no  well-founded  principle  wherewith  to  guide 


164:  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

our  speculations  similar  to  the  principle  of  Continuity ;  for 
this,  if  we  had  it,  would  at  once  inform  us  whether  the 
doctrine  of  immortality  was  true  or  false. 

We  know  very  well  that  the  universe  will  remain  after 
we  are  laid  in  the  grave,  but  some  of  us  are  not  equally 
certain  whether  we  ourselves  shall  then  continue  to  exist. 

Thus  there  appears  to  be  a  difficulty  which  we  see  at 
present  no  means  of  surmounting  in  dealing  with  individ- 
ual consciousness.  But,  while  the  continuance  of  indi- 
vidual life  is  enveloped  in  mystery,  it  is  believed  that  we 
have  obtained  hold  of  a  general  principle  regarding  the 
distribution  of  life  not  greatly  inferior  in  breadth  and  gen- 
erality to  the  law  of  Continuity.  We  mean  the  principle 
that  life  proceeds  from  life,  or,  to  speak  more  accurately, 
that  a  conditioned  living  thing  proceeds  only  from  a  con- 
ditioned living  thing.  That  dead  matter  cannot  produce  a 
living  organism  is  the  universal  experience  of  the  most 
eminent  physiologists.  In  fact,  the  law  of  Biogenesis  is 
justly  regarded  by  Prof.  Haxley  and  others  as  the  great 
principle  underlying  all  the  phenomena  of  organized  ex- 
istence. 

Prof.  Roscoe,  again,  approaching  the  subject  from 
the  chemical  point  of  view,  says,  speaking  of  red  bloo'd- 
corpuscles :  "  We  have  not  been  able,  and  the  evidence  at 
present  rather  goes  to  show  that  there  is  not  much  hope  of 
our  being  able,  to  construct  these  granules  artificially ;  and 
the  question  is  in  this  position,  that  so  far  as  science  has 
progressed  at  present  we  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any 
organism  without  the  intervention  of  some  sort  of  previ- 
ously existing  germ." 

225.  If  we  assume  the  truth  of  this  principle,  it  appears 
to  lead  us  directly  to  infer  that  life  is  not  merely  a  species 
of  energy,  or  a  phenomenon  of  matter.  For  we  have 
seen  (Art.  103)  that  the  great  characteristic  of  all  energy  is 
its   transmutability — its  Protean  power  of  passing  from 


TEE  UI^SEEF  UNIVERSE.  165 

one  form  to  another.  "We  may  no  doubt  produce  large 
quantities  of  electricity  by  means  of  an  electric  nucleus, 
but  we  can  do  the  same  without  any  such  nucleus — we  may 
produce  fire  from  a  spark,  but  we  can  obtain  it  without  a 
spark. 

Life,  however,  can  only  be  produced  from  life,  and  this 
law  would  seem  to  be  an  indication  that  the  solution  of 
the  mystery  is  not  to  be  found  by  making  life  merely  a 
species  of  energy.  It  is  some  time  since  we  gave  up  the 
idea  that  life  could  generate  energy  ;  it  now  seems  that  we 
must  give  up  the  idea  that  energy  can  generate  life. 

226.  In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  given  our  read- 
ers a  sketch  of  the  method  according  to  which  men  of  sci- 
ence imagine  that  evolution  has  been  carried  out  both  in 
the  universe  of  energy  and  in  that  of  life.  In  both  worlds 
the  principle  of  Continuity  demands  that  in  endeavoring 
to  account  for  the  origin  of  phenomena  we  do  not  resort 
to  the  hypothesis  of  separate  creations,  that  we  do  not  pass 
over  from  'the  conditioned  to  the  unconditioned ;  and  Dar- 
win, "Wallace,  and  their  followers,  have,  as  we  have  shown, 
endeavored  to  prove  that  processes  at  present  pursued  by 
]^ature  are  sufficient  in  a  great  measure,  if  not  entirely,  to 
account  for  the  present  development  of  organized  existence 
without  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  separate  creations. 
Darwin  especially  imagines  that  all  the  present  organisms, 
including  man,  may  have  been  derived  by  the  process  of 
natural  selection  from  a  single  primordial  germ.  "When, 
however,  the  backward  process  has  reached  this  germ,  an 
insuperable  difficulty  presents  itself.  How  was  this  germ 
produced  ?  All  experience  tells  us  that  life  can  only  be 
produced  from  a  living  antecedent ;  now,  what  was  the 
antecedent  of  this  germ  ?  Hypotheses  have  no  doubt  been 
started,  but  we  cannot  regard  them  in  any  other  light  than 
as  an  acknowledgment  of  a  difiiculty  that  cannot  be  over- 
come.  We  appear  to  have  reached  an  impenetrable  barrier 


166  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

similar  to  that  whicli  stood  in  our  way  when  we  contem- 
plated the  production  of  the  visible  universe.  And  we 
must  likewise  assert  for  ourselves  with  becoming  rever- 
ence a  similar  freedom  of  action  in  dealing  with  this  sec- 
ond barrier.  Therefore,  if  life  be  one  of  the  things  of  the 
universe,  if  a  creation  of  life  in  time' be  inadmissible,  and 
if  it  be  contrary  to  all  experience  to  suppose  the  produc- 
tion of  life  without  an  antecedent  possessing  life,  we  are 
entitled  to  make  use  of  this  conclusion  derived  from  ex- 
perience even  in  such  a  case  as  the  present,  and  contem- 
plate an  antecedent  possessing  life  and  giving  life  to  this 
primordial  germ — an  antecedent  in  the  universe,  not  out 
of  it — conditioned,  not  unconditioned.  Now,  what  is  the 
meaning  of  this  conclusion  ?  In  the  first  place,  it  does  not 
mean  that  the  antecedent  to  the  primordial  germ  must  be 
a  like  germ,  for  we  know  from  experience  that  while  life 
is  always  produced  from  life,  like  is  not  always  produced 
from  like.  In  this  case  more  especially  the  living  ante- 
cedent must  be  in  the  invisible  universe,,  and  therefore 
very  different  from  the  germ. 

227.  If  we  now  turn  once  more  to  the  Christian  sys- 
tem, we  shall  find  that  it  recognizes  such  an  antecedent  as 
an  agent  in  the  universe.  He  is  styled  the  Lord  and  Giver 
of  Life.  The  third  Person  of  the  Trinity  is  regarded  in 
this  system  as  working  in  the  universe,  and  therefore  in 
some  sense  as  conditioned,  and  as  distributing  and  develop- 
ing this  principle  of  life,  which  we  are  forced  to-regard  as 
one  of  the  things  of  the  universe,  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  second  Person  of  the  Trinity  is  regarded  as  developing 
that  other  phenomenon,  the  energy  of  the  univeree.  The 
one  has  entered  from  everlasting  into  the  universe,  in  or- 
der to  develop  its  objective  element,  energy ;  the  other  has 
also  entered  from  everlasting  into  the  universe,  in  order  to 
develop  its  subjective  element,  life. 

Thus  we  read  (Gen.  i.  2) :  "  And  the  earth  was  without 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNI 

form,  and  void ;  and  darkness  was  ii^ 
deep.  And  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  n p nll'^ftrrTnr r" irf'tftr 
waters;"  implying,  we  may  imagine,  a  peculiar  operation 
of  this  Spirit  preceding  the  advent  of  life  into  the  world. 
Again,  when  in  the  fullness  of  time  Christ,  the  developing 
agent,  made  his  appearance  here,  and  submitted  to  the 
trammels  of  a  human  nature,*  this  appearance  was  pre- 
ceded by  an  operation  of  the  same  Spirit. 

228.  It  may  here  be  desirable  to  discuss  somewhat  fully 
the  position  of  life  in  the  universe. 

If,  then,  the  matter  of  this  present  visible  universe  be 
not  capable  of  itself,  that  is  to  say,  in  virtue  of  the  forces 
and  qualities  with  which  it  has  been  endowed,  of  generat- 
ing life ;  but  if  we  must  look  to  the  unseen  universe  for 
the  origin  of  life,  this  would  appear  to  imply  that  the  pe- 
culiar collocation  of  matter  which  accompanies  the  opera- 
tions of  life  is  not  a  mere  grouping  of  particles  of  the 
visible  universe,  but  implies  likewise  some  peculiarity  in 
the  connection  of  these  with  the  unseen  universe.  May 
it  not  denote,  in  fact,  some  peculiarity  of  structure  extend- 
ing to  the  unseen  ? 

In  fine,  to  go  a  step  further,  may  not  life  denote  a 
peculiarity  of  structure  which  is  handed  over  not  merely 
from  one  stage  to  another — from  the  invisible  to  the  visi- 
ble— but  which  rises  upward  from  the  very  lowest  struct- 
ural depths  of  the  material  of  the  universe,  looking  uj)on 
this  i^aterial  as  possessed  of  an  infinitely  complex  struct 
ure  such  as  we  have  pictured  to  our  readers  in  a  previous 
part  of  this  chapter  (Art.  216)  ? 

If  we  suppose  any  such  peculiarity  to  accompany  life, 
we  shall  at  once  see  the  impossibility  of  its  originating  in 
the  visible  universe  alone. 

229.  Again,  it  is  well  known  to  many  of  our  readers 
that  discussions  have  frequently  arisen  regarding  the  pe- 
culiar place  and  function  of  life  in  the  universe.     What  is 


168     .  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

its  relation  to  energy  ?  it  certainly  does  not  create  energy 
— what,  then,  does  it  do  ? 

One  way  of  replying  to  this  question  is  indicated  in  the 
following  passage,  which  we  have  quoted  at  length  from 
an  article  upon  "  The  Atomic  Theory  of  Lucretius,"  in  the 
North  Britkh  Review  for  March,  1868 : 

"It  is  a  principle  of  mechanics  that  a  force  acting  at  right  angles 
to  the  direction  in  which  a  body  is  moving  does  no  work,  although 
it  may  continually  and  continuously  alter  the  direction  in  which  the 
body  moves.  No  power,  no  energy,  is  required  to  deflect  a  bullet 
from  its  path,  provided  the  deflecting  force  acts  always  at  right  angles 
to  that  path.  .  .  . 

*'  If  you  believe  in  free-will  and  in  atoms,  you  have  two  courses 
open  to  you.  The  first  alternative  may  be  put  as  follows :  Something 
which  is  not  atoms  must  be  allowed  an  existence,  and  must  be  sup- 
posed capable  of  acting  on  the  atoms.  The  atoms  may,  as  Democritus 
believed,  build  up  a  huge  mechanical  structure,  each  wheel  of  wliich 
drives  its  neighbor  in  one  long  inevitable  sequence  of  causation ;  but 
you  may  assume  that  beyond  this  ever-grinding  wheelwork  there 
exists  a  power  not  subject  to  but  partly  master  of  the  machine ;  you 
may  believe  that  man  possesses  such  a  power,  and,  if  so,  no  better 
conception  of  the  manner  of  its- action  could  be  devised  than  the  idea 
of  its  deflecting  the  atoms  in  their  onward  path  to  the  right  or  left  of 
that  line  in  which  they  would  naturally  move.  The  will,  if  it  so  act- 
cd„would  add  nothing  sensible  to  nor  take  any  thing  sensible  from 
the  energy  of  the  universe.  The  modern  believer  in  free-will  will 
probably  adopt  this  view,  which  is  certainly  consistent  with  observa- 
tion, although  not  proved  by  it.  Such  a  power  of  moulding  circum- 
stances, of  turning  the  torrent  to  the  right,  where  it  shall  fertilize,  or 
to  the  left,  where  it  shall  overwhelm,  but  in  no  wise  of  arresting  the 
torrent,  adding  nothing  to  it,  taking  nothing  ffom  it — such  is  pre- 
cisely the  apparent  action  of  man's  will;  and  though  we  must  allow 
that  possibly  the  deflecting  action  does  but  result  from  some  smaller, 
Bubtiler  stream  of  circumstance,  yet  if  we  may  trust  to  our  direct  per- 
ception of  free-will,  the  above  theory,  involving  a  power  in  man  be- 
yond that  of  atoms,  would  probably  be  our  choice.  .  .  . 

"We  cannot  hope  that  natural  science  will  ever  lend  the  least 
assistance  toward  answering  the  Free-will  and  Necessity  question. 
The  doctrines  of  the  indestructibility  of  matter  and  of  the  conserva- 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  160 

tioia  of  energy  seem  at  first  sight  to  help  the  Necessitarians,  for  they 
might  argue  that  if  free-will  acts  it  must  add  something  to  or  take 
something  from  the  physical  universe,  and  if  experiment  shows  that 
nothing  of  the  kind  occurs,  away  goes  fr^je-will ;  but  this  argument  is 
worthless,  for  if  mind  or  will  simply  deflects  matter  as  it  moves,  it 
may  produce  all  the  consequences  claimed  by  the  Willful  school,  and 
yet  it  will  neither  add  energy  nor  matter  to  the  universe." 

230.  ]S"ow  there  appears  to  us  to  be  a  very  serious  ol> 
jection  to  this  method  of  regarding  the  position  of  life, 
unless  it  be  somewhat  modified.  Let  us  take  one  of  the 
visible  masses  of  this  present  universe,  such  as  a  planet. 
Instead  of  being  attracted  to  a  fixed  and  visible  centre  of 
force,  such  as  the  sun,  suppose  for  a  moment  that  it  is 
bound  to  an  invisible  and  vagrant  centre,  of  which  the 
only  condition  imposed  upon  its  irregularities  is  that  it 
shall  always  move  in  such  a  manner  that  there  shall  be  no 
creation  nor  destruction  of  energy. 

We  have  only  to  imagine  for  a  moment  such  a  universe 
in  order  to  realize  the  inextricable  confusion  into  which  its 
intelligent  inhabitants  would  be  plunged  by  the  operation 
of  a  viewless  and  unaccountable  agency  of  this  nature.  No 
doubt,  the  hypothesis  regarding  life  which  we  have  quoted 
above  limits  this  mode  of  action  to  the  molecular  motions 
of  matter,  but  if  our  line  of  argument  has  been  followed 
throughout,  the  reader  will  probably  acknowledge  that  the 
superior  intelligences  of  the  universe  may  have  the  same 
appreciation  of  molecular  motions  that  we  have  of  those 
of  large  masses.  Now  they  would  in  turn  be  put  to  inex- 
tricable confusion  by  the  advent  of  an  unperceivable  and, 
from  the  nature  of  the  case,  irresponsible  force  entitled 
will  operating  toward  the  deflection  of  these  molecular 
motions,  even  although  the  energy  of  the  universe  should 
remain  the  same.  "We  think  that  Prof.  Huxley,  and 
those  who  have  opposed  this  mode  of  regarding  the  posi- 
tion of  life,  have  been  somewhat  unjustly  blamed.  They 
8 


170  THE  UNSEEX  UFIVERSE, 

have  driven  the  operation  of  that  mystery  called  life  or 
will  out  of  the  objective  universe,  or  that  portion  of  things 
which  is  capable  of  being  scientifically  studied  by  intelli- 
gence, and  in  so  doing  diey  have  most  assuredly  done  right. 
The  mistake  made  (whether  by  this  party  or  their  adver- 
saries) lies  in  imagining  that  by  this  process  they  complete- 
ly get  rid  of  a  thing  so  driven  before  them,  and  that  it 
disappears  from  the  universe  altogether.  It  does  no  such 
thing.  It  only  disappears  from  that  small  circle  of  light 
which  we  may  call  the  universe  of  scientific  perception. 

But  the  greater  the  circle  of  light  (to  adopt  the  words 
of  Dr.  Chalmers),  the  greater  the  circumference  of  dark- 
ness, and  the  mystery  which  has  been  driven  before  us 
looms  in  the  darkness  that  surrounds  this  circle,  growing 
more  mysterious  and  more  tremendous  as  the  circumference 
is  increased.  In  fine,  we  have  already  remarked  that  the 
position  of  the  scientific  man  is  to  clear  a  space  before  him 
from  which  all  mystery  shall  be  driven  away,  and  in  which 
there  shall  be  nothing  but  matter  and  certain  definite  laws 
which  he  can  comprehend.  There  are,  however,  three 
great  mysteries  (a  trinity  of  mysteries)  which  elude,  and 
will  forever  elude,  his  grasp,  and  these  will  persistently 
hover  around  the  border  of  this  cleared  and  illuminated 
circle:  they  are  the  mystery  of  matter;  tlie  mystery  of 
life ;  and  the  mystery  of  God — and  these  three  are  one. 

231.  But  in  this  latter  statement  we  have  transgressed 
the  limits  of  our  inquiry,  and  are  content  to  be  driven 
back.  Sufiice  it  to  say  that  these  three  gigantic  mysteries 
will  persistently  hover  around  the  illuminated  circle,  or,  to 
speak  more  properly,  the  illuminated  sphere  of  scientific 
thought,  of  which  duration,  extension,  and  structural  com- 
plexity may  be  regarded  as  the  three  rectangular  axes  in 
each  of  which  the  process  of  development  goes  on  simulta- 
neously as  the  boundary  of  the  sphere  is  enlarged. 

Within  this  sphere  we  have  only  that  which  can  be 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  1^1 

grasped  by  Physical  Science,  but  we  are  not  tlierefore  to 
infer  tbat  matter  and  the  laws  of  matter  have  a  reality  and 
a  permanence  denied  to  intelligence. 

It  is  rather  because  they  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  list — 
are,  in  fact,  the  simplest  and  lowest  of  the  three — that  they 
are  capable  of  being  the  most  readily  grasped  by  the  finite 
intelligences  of  the  universe.  The  following  words  of 
Prof.  Stokes,  in  his  presidential  address  to  the  British 
Association  at  Exeter,  occur  to  us  as  very  clearly  embody- 
ing this  thought : 

"  Admitting  to  the  full  as  highly  probable,  though  not  completely 
demonstrated,  the  applicability  to  living  beings  of  the  laws  which 
have  been  ascertained  with  reference  to  dead  matter,  I  feel  con- 
strained at  the  same  time  to  admit  the  existence  of  a  mysterious 
something  lying  beyond,  a  something  sui  generis^  which  I  regard,  not 
as  balancing  and  suspending  the  ordinary  physical  laws,  but  as  work- 
ing with  them  and  through  them  to  the  attainment  of  a  designed 
end.  What  this  something  which  we  call  life  may  be  is  a  profound 
mystery.  .  .  .  When  from  the  phenomena  of  life  we  pass  on  to  those 
of  mind,  we  enter  a  region  still  more  profoundly  mysterious.  We 
can  readily  imagine  that  we  may  here  be  dealing  with  phenomena 
altogether  transcending  those  of  mere  life,  in  some  such  way  as  those 
of  life  transcend,  as  I  have  endeavored  to  infer,  those  of  chemistry 
and  molecular  attractions,  or  as  the  laws  of  chemical  affinity  in  their 
turn  transcend  those  of  mere  mechanics.  Science  can  be  expected  to 
do  but  little  to  aid  us  here,  since  the  instrument  of  research  is  itself 
the  object  of  investigation.  It  can  but  enlighten  us  as  to  the  depths 
of  our  ignorance,  and  lead  us  to  look  to  a  higher  aid  for  that  which 
most  nearly  concerns  our  well-beiug." 

232.  In  fine,  the  physical  properties  of  matter  form 
the  alphabet  which  is  put  into  our  hands  by  God,  the  study 
of  which  will,  if  properly  conducted,  enable  us  more  per- 
fectly to  read  that  great  book  which  we  call  the  Universe. 

We  have  begun  to  recognize  some  of  the  chief  letters 
of  this  alphabet,  and  even  to  put  two  and  two  together ; 
and,  like  an  intelligent  but  somewhat  conceited  child,  we 
are  very  proud  of  our  achievement.     Like  such  a  child  we 


172  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

have  not  yet,  however,  completely  grasped  the  fact  that 
these  letters  are  only  symbols,  but  look  upon  them  with 
intense  awe  as  the  great  thing  in  the  world,  meaning,  of 
course,  our  world.  We  look  with  a  sort  of  adoration 
toward  those  pages  in  -wliich  there  are  words  of  two  sylla- 
bles, and  are  ready  to  fall  down  at  the  feet  of  that  older 
and  wiser  child  who  has  penetrated  into  the  depths  of  such 
profound  mysteries.  Our  belief  is  that  all  knowledge  is 
made  for  the  alphabet  just  as  the  little  musician  believes 
that  all  music  is  made  for  the  piano. 

233.  Life,  then,  whatever  be  its  nature,  may  be  sup- 
posed to  penetrate  into  the  structural  depths  of  the  uni- 
verse. Its  seat  is  in  a  region  inaccessible  to  human  in- 
quiry, and  equally  inaccessible,  we  may  well  suppose,  to 
the  inquiries  of  the  higher  created  intelligences.  Intima- 
tions of  its  presence  are  no  doubt  constantly  emerging 
from  this  region  of  thick  darkness  into  the  objective  uni- 
verse, but  when  they  have  reached  it  they  obey  the  ordi- 
nary laws  of  phenomena,  according  to  which  a  material 
effect  implies  a  material  antecedent. 

^  Notwithstanding  all  this,  life  exists  just  as  surely  as  the 
Deity  exists.  For  we  have  subjected  both  these  mysteries 
to  the  same  process,  and  have  found  it  as  difficult  to  rid 
ourselves  of  the  one  as  of  the  other. 

We  have  driven  the  creative  operation  of  the  Great 
First  Cause  into  the  durational  depths  of  the  universe — 
into  the  eternity  of  the  past — but  for  all  that  we  have  not 
got  rid  of  God.  In  like  manner  we  have  driven  the  mys- 
tery of  life  into  the  structural  depths  of  the  universe — that 
region  of  thick  darkness  wliich  no  created  eye  is  able  to 
pierce — ^but  we  have  not  got  rid  of  life,  nor  are  we  likely 
to  do  so.  Before  concluding  this  digression  upon  the  place 
of  life,  let  us  briefly  review  the  attempts  made  to  account 
for  the  origin  of  life  by  those  who  have  yet  fallen  short  of 
the  scientific  conception  of  an  Unseen  Universe. 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVEU8E.  173 

234.  Sir  W.  Thomson  has  gone  further  than  any  one 
else  in  such  inquiries.  We  have  already  alluded  to  his  at- 
tempt to  explain  the  origin  of  the  material  universe  by  the 
vortex-ring  hypothesis,  and  also  to  his  other  attempt  to  ex- 
plain gravitation  by  the  modification  of  the  hypothesis  of 
ultra-mundane  corpuscles.  If  we  add  to  these  his  attempt 
to  explain  the  origin  of  life  as  consistently  as  possible  with 
the  principle  of  Continuity,  we  think  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  he  is  a  true  pioneer  in  such  inquiries  as  those 
of  this  volume  as  well  as  in  the  more  ordinary  branches  of 
Physical  Science. 

The  explanation  of  the  origin  of  life  proposed  by  Sir 
W.  Thomson  had  also  occurred  independently  to  Prof. 
Helmholtz.  This  latter  physicist,  in  an  article  on  the  use 
and  abuse  of  the  deductive  method  in  Physical  Science,^ 
tells  us  very  clearly  what  led  himself,  and  no  doubt  Sir  W". 
Thomson  likewise,  to  suggest  the  meteoric  hypothesis  as  a 
possible  way  of  accounting  for  the  origin  of  life :  "  If 
failure  attends  all  our  efforts  to  obtain  a  generation  of  or- 
ganisms from  lifeless  matter,  it  seems  to  me  (says  Prof. 
Helmholtz)  a  thoroughly  correct  procedure  to  inquire 
whether  there  has  ever  been  an  origination  of  life,  or 
whether  it  is  not  as  old  as  matter,  and  whether  its  germs, 
borne  from  one  world  to  another,  have  not  been  developed 
wherever  they  have  found  a  favorable  soil." 

235.  We  have  already  sufficiently  pointed  out  that  the 
man  of  science  objects  to  separate  creations,  and  that,  in 
consequence,  he  tries  to  explain  the  present  terrestrial  life 
by  means  of  a  single  primordial  germ.  But  the  difficulty 
still  remains  regarding  the  original  appearance  of  this  germ. 

]^ow,  according  to  the  meteoric  hypothesis  this  germ 
may  have  been  wafted  to  us  from  some  other  world,  or  its 
fragments,  and  thus  an  act  of  creation  of  life  might  possi- 
bly serve  for  many  worlds.  If,  therefore,  this  hypothesis 
were  otherwise  tenable,  it  would  diminish  the  dithculty 

'  Nature,  January  14,  ISVo. 


174  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

implied  bj  separate  creations,  but  would  it  entirely  remove 
it  ?    We  doubt  this  very  mucli. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  as  far  as  we  can  judge  (Art.  163) 

>  the  visible  universe — the  universe  of  worlds — is  not  eternal ; 
while,  however,  the  invisible  universe,  or  that  which  we 
associate  with  the  ethereal  medium,  is  necessarily  eternal. 
The  visible  universe  must  have  had  its  origin  in  time 
(Art.  116),  no  doubt  from  a  nebulous  condition.  But  in 
this  condition  it  can  hardly  have  been  fit  for  the  reception 
of  life.  Life  must  therefore  have  been  created  afterward. 
AV6  have  thus  at  least  two  separate  creations,  both  taking 
place  in  time — the  one  of  matter  and  the  other  of  life- 
And  even  if  it  were  possible,  which  it  is  not,  to  get  over 
one  of  the  difiiculties  attending  this  hypothesis,  that  of 
creation  in  time,  by  regarding  the  visible  universe  as  eter- 
nal, yet  even  then  we  must  regard  matter  and  life  as  im- 
plying two  separate  creative  acts  if  we  assume  the  nebu- 
lous hypothesis  to  be  true.  For  if  x  denote  the  date  of  the 
advent  of  life,  and  x-\-a  that  of  the  advent  of  matter,  a 
being  a  constant  quantity,  the  two  operations  cannot  be 
made  simultaneous  by  merely  increasing  the  value  of  x 
without  limit.  Now,  this  is  what  we  mean  by  eternity, 
and  therefore  we  cannot  help  thinking  that  this  want  of 
simultaneity  implies  a  defect  in  this  mode  of  viewing  the 
origin  of  things. 

In  fine,  our  hypothesis,  in  which  the  material  as  well 
as  the  life  of  the  visible  universe  is  regarded  as  having 
been  developed  from  the  Unseen,  in  which  it  had  ex- 
isted from  Eternity,  appears  to  us  to  present  the  only 
available  method  of  avoiding  a  break  of  continuity,  if  at 
the  same  time  we  are  to  accept  loyally  the  indications 

/^given  by  observation  and  experiment.  It  may  be  said 
(just  as  any  thing  ^Ise  may  be  said)  that  the  visible  uni- 
verse is  eternal,  and  that  it  has  the  power  of  originating 
life  ;  but  both  statements  are  surely  opposed  to  the  results 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  175 

of  observation  and  experiment.  E'ow,  we  must  be  con- 
tent in  such  matters  as  these  to  be  guided  by  probabilities, 
and  it  certainly  appears  most  probable  that  the  visible  uni- 
verse is  not  eternal,  and  that  it  has  not  the  power  of  origi- 
nating life.  In  fine,  life  as  well  as  matter  comes  to  us 
from  the  Unseen  Universe. 

236.  Let  us  here  again  pause  for  a  moment  and  review 
the  position  we  have  reached.  By  taking  the  universe  as 
we  find  it,  and  regarding  each  occurrence  in  it,  without 
exception,  as  something  upon  which  it  was  meant  that  we 
should  exercise  our  intellects,  we  are  led  at  once  to  the 
principle  of  Continuity,  which  asserts  that  we  shall  never 
be  carried  from  the  conditioned  to  the  unconditioned,  but 
only  from  one  order  of  the  fully  conditioned  to  another. 
Two  great  laws  or  principles  come  before  us :  the  one  of 
which  is  the  Conservation  of  Energy  ;  that  is  to  say,  con- 
servation of  the  objective  element  of  the  universe  ;  while 
the  other  is  the  law  of  Biogenesis,  in  virtue  of  which  the 
appearance  of  a  living  Being  in  the  universe  denotes  the 
existence  of  an  antecedent  possessing  life.  We  are  led 
from  these  two  great  principles  to  regard,  as  at  least  the 
most  probable  solution,  that  there  is  an  intelligent  Agent 
operating  in  the  universe,  whose  function  it  is  to  develop 
energy ;  and  also  that  there  is  a  similar  Agent  whose 
function  it  is  to  develop  life.  Perhaps  we  ought  rather  to 
say  that,  if  we  are  not  driven  to  this-  very  conclusion,  it 
appears  at  le'ast  to  be  the  one  which  most  simply  and  natu- 
rally satisfies  the  principle  of  Continuity. 

But  this  conclusion  hardly  differs  from  the  Christian 
doctrine ;  or,  to  speak  properly,  the  conclusion,  as  far  as  it 
goes,  appears  to  agree  with  the  Christian  doctrine. 

In  fine,  we  are  led  to  regard  it  as  one  of  the  great 
merits  of  the  Christian  system,  that  its  doctrine  is  pre- 
eminently one  of  intellectual  liberty,  and  that  while  theo- 
logians on  the  one  hand,  and  men  of  science  on  the  other, 


176  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

have  each  erected  their  barriers  to  inquiry,  the  early  Chris- 
tian records  acknowledge  no  such  barrier,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, assert  tlie  most  perfect  freedom  for  all  the  powers 
of  man. 

237.  We  have  now  reached  a  stage  from  which  we  can 
very  easily  dispose  of  any  scientific  difficulty  regarding 
miracles.  For,  if  the  invisible  was  able  to  produce  the 
present  visible  universe  with  all  its  energy,  it  could,  of 
course,  a  fortiori^  very  easily  produce  such  transmutations 
of  energy  from  the  one  universe  into  the  other  as  would 
account  for  the  events  which  took  place  in  Judea.  Those 
events  are,  therefore,  no  longer  to  be  regarded  as  absolute 
breaks  of  continuity,  a  thing  which  we  have  agreed  to  con- 
sider impossible,  but  only  as  the  result  of  a  peculiar  action 
of  the  invisible  upon  the  visible  universe.  When  we  dig 
up  an  ant-hill,  we  perform  an  operation  which,  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  hill,  is  mysteriously  perplexing,  far  tran- 
scending their  experience  ;  but  we  know  very  well  that  the 
whole  affair  happens  without  any  breach  of  continuity  of 
the  laws  of  the  universe.  In  like  manner  the  scientific 
difficulty  with  regard  to  miracles  will,  we  think,  entirely 
disappear,  if  our  view  of  the  invisible  universe  be  ac- 
cepted, or,  indeed,  if  any  view  be  accepted  that  implies 
the  presence  in  it  of  living  beings  much  more  powerful 
than  ourselves. 

238.  We  have  as  yet  only  replied  to  the  scientific  ob- 
jection, but  there  are  other  objections  which  might  be 
raised.  Thus,  for  instance,  it  -might  be  said.  What  occa- 
sion was  there  for  the  interference  implied  in  miracles? 
And  again.  Is  the  historical  testimony  in  favor  of  their  oc- 
currence conclusive  ?  We  must  leave  the  last  objection  to 
be  replied  to  by  the  historian ;  but,  with  respect  to  the 
former,  it  appears  to  us  as  almost  self-evident  that  Christ, 
if  he  came  to  us  from  the  invisible  world,  could  hardly 
(with. reverence  be  it  spoken)  have  done  so  without  some 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  1Y7 

peculiar  sort  of  communication  being  established  between 
the  two  worlds.  No  doubt  we  may  well  imagine  that  the 
acts  of  interference  in  virtue  of  this  communication  were 
strictly  limited ;  and,  in  proof  of  this  conclusion,  we  may 
cite  the  fact  that  what  did  occur  was  sufficiently  startling 
to  have  secured  the  ear  of  humanity  ever  since,  but  not 
sufficiently  overwhelming  to  preclude  the  exercise  of  in- 
dividual faith.  The  very  fact  of  there  being  sincere  skep- 
tics proves,  we  think,  the  limited  extent  of  these  inter- 
ferences.^ 

239.  We  have  now  considered  miracles,  or  those  ap- 
parent breaks  of  continuity  which  have  been  furnished  by 
history,  but  our  readers  are  already  well  aware  that  equally 
formidable  breaks  are  brought  before  us  by  science.  There 
is,  to  begin  with,  that  formidable  phenomenon,  the  pro- 
duction in  time  of  the  visible  universe.  Secondly,  there 
is  that  break,  hardly  less  formidable,  namely,  the  original 
production  of  life  ;  and  there  is,  thirdly,  that  break  recog- 
nized by  Wallace  and  his  school  of  natural  history,  which 
seems  to  have  occurred  at  the  first  production  of  man. 
Greatly  as  we  are  indebted  to  Darwin,  Huxley,  and  those 
who  have  prominently  advocated  the  possibility  of  the 
present  system  of  things  having  been  developed  by  forces 
and  operations  such  as  we  see  before  us,  it  must  be  regarded 
by  us,  and  we  think  it  is  regarded  by  them,  as  a  defect  in 
their  system,  that  these  breaks  remain  unaccounted  for. 
Our  readers  will  now,  however,  if  we  mistake  not,  per- 
ceive what  is  the  real  source  of  the  perplexity  felt  by  the 
school  of  evolutionists.  It  is  that  they  have  been  unable 
to  regard  an  interference  of  the  invisible  universe  in  any 
other  light  than  an  absolute  break  of  continuity;  and, 
holding  with  justice  to  the  principle  of  Continuity,  they 
have  been  unable  to  do  more  than  acknowledge  these  dif- 
ficulties and  allow  them  to  remain. 

*  See  sermon  preached  at  Belfast  by  Dr.  Reichel,  August  23,  18'74. 


178  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

But  from  our  point  of  view  these  difficulties  are  by  no 
means  impenetrable  barriers,  barring  forever  the  progress 
of  research.  On  the  contrary,  we  assert  that,  if  approached 
with  sufficient  boldness,  and  examined  with  sufficient  care, 
they  will  be  found  to  contain  avenues  leading  up  to  the  in- 
visible universe,  and  directing  our  inquiries  thitherward. 
There  may  be  possibly  other  apparent  breaks  or  barriers, 
but  these  appear  to  be  the  best  established ;  and,  with  these 
exceptions,  we  may  suppose  that  the  visible  universe,  in  so 
far  as  we  are  capable  of  investigating  it,  has  been  left  to 
develop  itself  in  accordance  with  those  forces  and  opera- 
tions which  we  see  before  us  at  the  present  day. 

In  fine,  the  visible  universe  was  plainly  intended  to  be 
something  which  we  are  capable  of  investigating,  and  the 
few  apparent  breaks  are  in  reality  so  many  partially  con- 
cealed avenues  leading  up  to  the  unseen. 

2-tO.  Our  readers  must  not,  however,  infer  from  what 
we  have  now  said,  that  we  do  not  recognize  any  present 
points  of  contact  between  us  and  the  invisible.  There  may 
possibly  be  (but  even  of  this  we  are  not  quite  sure)  no 
points  of  apparent  interference  between  the  two,  so  that 
the  man  of  science  cannot  say,  "  Here  is  a  break ; "  but 
nevertheless  there  may  be  a  dose  and  vital  union  between 
the  two  universes,  in  those  regions  into  which  investiga- 
tion cannot  penetrate.  There  may  be  an  action  of  the  in- 
visible world  upon  the  individual  mind,  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  there  should  not  also  be  an  action  upon  the 
visible  universe,  by  means  of  those  processes  of  delicacy 
which,  as  we  have  already  seen,  obtain  in  that  quarter  (Art. 
184).  Neither  the  one  action  nor  the  other  would  be  de- 
tected by  science,  unless  we  except  certain  providential  oc- 
currences, which  are  generally,  however,  better  recognized 
by  the  individuals  to  whom  they  refer  than  by  the  world 
at  large.  And  just  as  reversibility  (Art.  113)  is  the  stamp 
of  perfection  in  the  inanimate  engine,  so  a  similar  reversi- 


TEE  UNSEEN-  UNIVERSE.  179 

bility  may  be  the  stamp  of  perfection  in  the  living  man. 
He  ought  to  live  for  the  nnseen — to  carry  into  it  some- 
thing which  may  not  be  wholly  unacceptable.  But,  in 
order  to  enable  him  to  do  this,  the  unseen  must  also  work 
upon  him,  and  its  influences  must  pervade  his  spiritual  na- 
ture. Thus  a  WiQfor  the  unseen  through  the  unseen  is  to 
be  regarded  as  the  only  perfect  life. 

241.  In  fine,  the  unseen  may  have  a  very  wide  field  of 
influence,  but  it  is  not  discernible,  or  at  least  easily  dis- 
cernible, by  the  eye  of  sense,  and  we  are  therefore  led  to 
consult  the  Christian  records  regarding  the  reality  of  a 
present  influence  exercised  by  the  invisible  universe  upon 
ours. 

In  the  first  place,  we  have  the  following  words  of  Christ 
himself  (Matt.  xiii.  41) :  "  The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth 
his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  aU 
things  that  offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity,  and  shall 
cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  wailing  and 
gnashing  of  teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as 
the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father."  Again  (Matt. 
XXV.  31) :  "  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory, 
and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon 
the  throne  of  his  glory :  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered 
all  nations ;  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another, 
as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats."  Again 
(Matt.  xxvi.  53),  speaking  to  Peter :  "  Thinkest  thou  that 
I  cannot  now  pray  to  my  Father,  and  he  shall  presently 
give  me  more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels  ?  "  Further- 
more, we  read  (Heb.  i.  14) :  "  Are  they  not  all  ministering 
spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs 
of  salvation  ? " 

These  passages  (and  many  more  might  be  quoted) 
would  appear  to  show  that,  according  to  the  Scriptures, 
the  angels  4;ake  a  very  prominent  part  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  universe  under  the  direction  of  the  Son  of  God^ 


180  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

They  are  his  ministers,  his  messengers,  who  execute  his 
decrees  and  perform  his  errands,  whether  of  mercy  or  of 
justice.  Therefore  it  is  said  of  Christ,  "  Thou  art  the 
King  of  angels;"  and  of  himself  in  his  glorilied  state, 
speaking  to  his  disciples,  Christ  says  (Matt,  xxviii.  18): 
"  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go 
ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
have  commanded  you ;  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

Let  us  close  these  quotations  by  one  from  the  Old 
Testament  (2  Kings  vi.  15-1 T) :  "  And  when  the  servant 
of  the  man  of  God  was  risen  early,  and  gone  forth,  behold, 
an  host  encompassed  the  city  both  with  horses  and  chariots ; 
and  his  servant  said  unto  him,  Alas,  my  master !  how  shall 
we  do?  And  he  answered,  Fear  not;  for  they  that  be 
with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them.  And 
Elisha  prayed,  and  said.  Lord,  I  pray  thee,  open  his  eyes, 
that  he  may  see.  And  the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
young  man :  and  he  saw :  and,  behold,  tlie  mountain  was 
full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round  about  Elisha.^' 

Finally,  it  is  the  belief  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Chiis- 
tian  Church  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells  in  and  acts  upon 
the  souls  of  believers.  This  action  represents  the  influence 
which  reaches  the  soul  of  man  from  the  unseen,  enabling 
him  to  live  for  the  unseen. 

242.  We  have  in  our  opening  chapter  quoted  a  very 
remarkable  passage  from  Swedenborg  upon  the  particular 
nature  of  God's  providence.  Let  us  now  hear  what  the 
Scriptures  say  upon  the  same  subject.  Christ  tells  us 
(Luke  xii.  6) :  "  Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  far- 
things, and  not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  before  God  ?  But 
even  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear 
not  therefore :  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows." 


TEE  UI^SEEN  UNIVERSE.  181 

Again  St.  Paul  tells  us  (Eom.  viii.  28) :  "  And  we  know 
that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God,  to  them  who  are  called  according  to  his  purpose." 
Also  (Rom.  viii.  38) :  "  For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers, 
nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor 
depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate 
us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord." 

243.  We  think  it  may  be  concluded,  from  all  these 
passages,  that  the  doctrine  of  a  particular  providence  is 
taught  in  the  Scriptures.  ITevertheless,  it  is  one  of  the 
hardest  things  to  understand  how  this  doctrine  can  be 
made  consistent  with  the  working  out  of  general  laws 
which,  so  far  as  we  can  study  them,  appear  to  have  no 
reference  whatever  to  individuals.  This  was  a  difficulty 
intensely  felt  by  the  late  John  Stuart  Mill.  He  says,  in  a 
work  published  after  his  death : 

"  For  how  stands  the  fact?  That,  next  to  the  greatness  of  these 
cosmic  forces,  the  quality  which  most  forcibly  strikes  every  one  who 
does  not  avert  his  eyes  from  it  is  their  perfect  and  absolute  reckless- 
ness. They  go  straight  to  their  end  without  regarding  what  or  whom 
they  crush  on  the  road.  Optimists,  in  their  attempts  to  prove  that 
'  whatever  is,  is  right,'  are  obliged  to  maintain,  not  that  Nature  ever 
turns  one  step  from  her  path  to  avoid  trampling  us  into  destruction, 
but  that  it  would  be  very  unreasonable  in  us  to  expect  that  she 
should.  Pope's  'Shall  gravitation  cease  when  you  go  by  ? '  may  be  a 
just  rebuke  to  any  one  who  should  be  so  silly  as  to  expect  common 
human  morality  from  Nature.  But  if  the  question  were  between  two 
men,  instead  of  between  a  man  and  a  natural  phenomenon,  that  tri- 
umphant apostrophe  would  be  thought  a  rare  piece  of  impudence. 
A  man  who  should  persist  in  hurling  stones  or  firing  cannon  when 
another  man  'goes  by,'  and,  having  killed  him,  should  iirge  a  simi- 
lar plea  in  exculpation,  would  very  dese'rvedly  be  found  guilty  of 
murder.  In  sober  truth,  nearly  all  the  things  which  men  are  hanged 
or  imprisoned  for  doing  to  one  another  are  Nature's  every-day  per- 
formances." 


182  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

This  objection  to  belief  in  the  reality  of  the  govern- 
ment of  God  has  been  clothed  in  very  eloquent  language 
in  a  sermon  by  the  Rev.  James  Martineau ;  "  The  battle 
of  existence"  (he  tells  us,  putting  himself  for  the  moment 
into  the  position  of  Mill  and  his  school)  "  rages  through  all 
time  and  in  every  field ;  and  its  rule  is  to  give  no  quarter 
— to  dispatch  the  maimed,  to  overtake  the  halt,  to  trip  up 
the  blind,  and  drive  the  fugitive  host  over  the  precipice 
into  the  sea." 

In  very  beautiful  language  the  poet  Tennyson,  after 
proposing  the  same  riddle,  replies  to  it  thus : 

"  Are  God  and  Nature  then  at  strife 
That  Nature  lends  such  evil  dreams  ? 
So  careful  of  the  type  she  seems, 
So  careless  of  the  single  life  ; 

'  So  careful  of  the  type  ? '  but  no, 
From  scarped  cliff  and  quarried  stone 
She  cries,  a  thousand  types  are  gone: 

I  care  for  nothing  :  all  shall  go. 

O  life  as  futile,  then,  as  frail  1 

O  for  thy  voice  to  soothe  and  bless ! 
What  hope  of  answer  or  redress? 

Behind  the  veil,  behind  the  veil." 

In  another  passage  of  equal  beauty  the  same  poet  ex- 
presses his  conviction — 

"  That  nothing  walks  with  aimless  feet : 
That  not  one  life  shall  be  destroyed 
Or  cast  as  rubbish  to  the  void, 
When  God  hath  made  the  pile  complete. 

That  not  a  worm  is  cloven  in  vain ; 

That  not  a  moth  with  vain  desire 

Is  shriveled  in  a  fruitless  fire, 
Or  but  subserves  another's  gain." 


.       TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  183 

Prof.  Jevons,  again,  in  liis  "  Principles  of  Science," 
(vol.  ii.,  p.  468)  alludes  in  the  following  terms  to  this  diffi- 
ctilty :  "  The  hypothesis,  that  there  is  a  Creator,  at  once 
all-powerful  and  all-benevolent,  is  surrounded,  as  it  must 
seem  to  every  candid  investigator,  with  difficulties  verging 
closely  upon  logical  contradiction.  The  existence  of  the 
smallest  amount  of  pain  and  evil  would  seem  to  show  that 
He  is  either  not  perfectly  benevolent,  or  not  all-powerful. 
JSTo  one  can  have  lived  long  without  experiencing  sorrow- 
ful events  of  which  the  significance  is  inexplicable.  But 
if  we  cannot  succeed  in  avoiding  contradiction  in  our  no- 
tions of  elementary  geometry,  can  we  expect  that  the  ulti- 
mate purposes  of  existence  shall  present  themselves  to  us 
with  perfect  clearness  ?  I  can  see  nothing  to  forbid  the 
notion  that  in  a  higher  state  of  intelligence  much  that  is 
now  obscure  may  become  clear.  We  perpetually  find  our- 
selves in  the  position  of  finite  minds  attempting  infinite 
problems,  and  can  we  be  sure  that  where  we  see  contradic- 
tion an  infinite  intelligence  might  not  discover  perfect 
logical  harmony  ? " 

244.  While  on  this  subject,  there  is  one  consideration 
which  ought  not  to  be  forgotten.  It  is  evident  that  the 
development  of  the  visible  universe  is  of  such  a  nature  that 
we  can  understand  it,  and  to  a  great  extent  explain  it  by 
means  of  laws  and  processes  with  which  we  are  familiar ; 
nay,  the  order  of  the  universe  is  something  which  it  be- 
comes our  very  duty  to  investigate.  But  the  results  of  our 
inquiries  are,  and  can  only  be,  the  appreciation  of  general 
laws  of  action.  The  working  out  of  these  laws  can  have, 
from  this  point  of  view,  no  possible  reference  to  individual 
interests.  If  gravity  acted  sometimes,  and  at  other  times 
refrained  from  acting,  we  could  derive  no  certain  informa- 
tion from  our  expei'ience  ;  we  could  not  advance  in  art  or 
science,  and  should,  in  fine,  be  plunged  into  speedy  con- 
fusion.    Nevertheless,  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  occur- 


184  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

rences  wliicli  take  place  through  the  action  of  gravity  may, 
after  all,  be  so  arranged  as  to  have  reference  to  the  real 
welfare  of  individuals,  although  this  reference  is  not  ap- 
parent, because  we  are  not  in  a  position  to  recognize  it,  and 
it  is  not  intended  that  we  should  do  so,  at  least  in  this  life. 
The  ability  to  do  so  would  be  a  very  dangerous  gift,  and 
would  go  far  to  upset  the  present  economy.  We  know 
very  little  about  the  bearings  of  events  on  our  own  best  in- 
terests, and  nothing  at  all  about  their  bearings  on  those  of 
our  neighbor.  We  may,  however,  believe  with  Jevons, 
that  in  a  future  state  the  adaptation  between  the  two  may 
become  apparent  to  us,  even  if  we  do  not  ourselves  become 
instruments  in  bringing  this  adaptation  about. 

245.  The  outcome  of  all  these  speculations  would  thus 
lead  us  to  regard  the  Christian  system  as  affording  a  full 
scope  for  development  in  all  respects,  whether  of  the  uni- 
verse or  the  individual.  Its  law  is  preeminently  that  of 
liberty,  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  or  something  anal- 
ogous to  it,  forms,  as  it  were,  the  avenue  through  which 
the  universe  itself  leads  us  up  to  the  conception  of  the 
infinite  and  eternal  One. 

JSTevertheless,  not  a  few  of  our  readers  may  be  disin- 
clined to  entertain  any  precise  conception  of  the  divine 
nature.  Neither  atheists  nor  theists,  they  simply  dismiss 
the  Deity  as  being  quite  above  their  comprehension,  and  all 
doctrines  founded  upon  certain  conceptions  of  the  Deity,  as 
superstructures  without  foundation. 

IS^ow,  the  results  regarding  immortality  at  which  we 
have  arrived  are,  we  think,  capable  of  being  very  nearly,  if 
not  altogether,  detached  from  all  conceptions  regarding  the 
Divine  essence. 

We  have  merely  to  take  the  universe  as  it  is,  and, 
adopting  the  principle  of  Continuity,  insist  upon  an  endless 
chain  of  events,  all  fully  conditioned,  however  far  we  go 
either  backward  or  forward.     This  leads  us  at  once  to  the 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  185 

conception  of  an  invisible  universe,  and  to  see  tliat  immor- 
tality is  possible  without  a  break  of  continuity. 

We  have,  however,  no  pliysical  proof  in  favor  of  it, 
unless  we  allow  that  Christ  rose  from  the  dead.  But  it 
will  be  admitted  that,  if  Christ  rose  from  the  dead,  immor- 
tality becomes  more  than  possible ;  it  becomes  probable ; 
and  we  do  not  see  that  this  conclusion  is  greatly  modified 
by  differences  in  our  mode  of  regarding  the  exact  nature 
of  Christ. 

Again,  the  production  of  the  visible  universe  in  time 
leads  us,  by  the  principle  of  Continuity,  to  the  conception 
of  a  fully-conditioned  intelligent  universe,  existing  prior 
to  the  production  of  the  visible.  And  furthermore,  we 
are  induced  by  our  argument  (Art.  214)  to  regard  the  pro- 
duction of  the  visible  universe  as  brought  to  pass  by  an  in- 
telligent agency  resident  in  the  invisible.  If,  then,  such 
an  agency  could  produce  the  visible  universe,  it  could  cer- 
tainly accomplish  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  without  any 
break  of  continuity,  as  far  as  the  whole  universe  is  con- 
cerned. 

246.  The  joys  of  the  Christian  heaven  are  celebrated 
in  hymns  which  are  frequently  very  beautiful,  even  if  they 
do  not  mount  to  the  sublimity  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  ode. 
One  of  the  finest  of  these  is  the  free  translation  by  Pope 
of  the  Latin  (not  originally  Christian)  ode  standing  at  the 
commencement  of  this  volume.     It  runs  thus : 

"Vital  spark  of  heavenly  flame  ! 
Quit,  oh,  quit  this  mortal  frame ! 
Trembling,  hoping,  lingering,  flying ; 
Oh,  the  pain,  the  bliss  of  dying ! 
Cease,  fond  Nature,  cease  thy  strife, 
And  let  me  languish  into  life  ! 

"  Hark !  they  whisper — angels  say, 
agister  spirit,  come  away!  * 


186  TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

"What  is  this  absorbs  me  quite ; 
Steals  my  senses,  shuts  my  sight ; 
Drowns  my  spirits,  draws  ray  breath? 
Tell  me,  my  soul,  can  this  be — death  ? 

*'  The  world  recedes!  it  disappears  I 
Heaven  opens  to  my  eyes — my  ears 

With  sounds  seraphic  ring : 
Lend,  lend  your  wings-!  I  mount !  I  fly  I 
O  Grave  1  where  is  thy  victory  ? 

O  Death!  where  is  thy  sting?  " 

Again,  there  are  some  beautiful  hymns  on  the  same 
subject  by  James  Montgomery,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
specimen : 

"  Friend  after  friend  departs ; 
"Who  hath  not  lost  a  friend  ? 
There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts, 

That  finds  not  here  an  end : 
Were  this  frail  world  our  only  rest, 
Living  or  dying,  none  were  blest. 

"  Beyond  the  flight  of  time, 

Beyond  the  vale  of  death. 
There  surely  is  some  blessed  clime, 

Where  life  is  not  a  breath, 
Nor  life's  affections  transient  fire. 
Whose  sparks  fly  upward  and  expire. 

"  There  is  a  world  above, 

Where  parting  is  unknown  ; 
A  whole  eternity  of  love, 

Formed  for  the  good  alone  ; 
And  faith  beholds  the  dying  here 
Translated  to  that  happier  sphere." 

Lastly,  we  give  our  readers  two  verses  from  a  hymn  by 
a  more  recent  \mter  (Sir  Henry  Baker)  : 

"  There  is  a  blessed  home 
Beyond  this  land  of  woe, 
Where  trials  never  come, 
Nor  tears  of  sorrow  flow  ; 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  187 

Where  faith  is  lost  in  sight, 

And  patient  hope  is  crowned, 
And  everlasting  life 

Its  glory  throws  around. 

"  There  is  a  land  of  peace. 

Good  angels  know  it  well ; 
Glad  songs  that  never  cease 

Within  its  portals  swell ; 
Around  its  glorious  throne 

Ten  thousand  saints  adore 
Christ,  with  the  Father  one. 

And  Spirit,  evermore." 

Many  sucli  specimens  might  be  given  if  our  object  were 
to  collect  together  the  Christian  hymns  relating  to  heaven. 
Sometimes,  too,  we  have  beautiful  descriptions  not  in  verse, 
and  Bunyan's  account  of  the  reception  of  Christian  and 
Hopeful  at  the  Celestial  City  will  at  once  occur  to  the 
reader  as  not  inferior  in  the  claims  of  true  poetry  to  any 
thing  that  we  have  given. 

247.  Kow,  if  we  analyze  these  hymns  of  joy,  there  are 
in  them  two  prominent  chords,  one  or  other  of  which  is 
always  struck.  The  first  expresses  the  Christian's  sense  of 
relief  from  sorrow  and  death,  and  the  second  his  joy  in 
the  anticipated  presence  of  Christ — ^his  intense  desire  to 
behold  the  King  in  his  beauty. 

Both  of  these  are  struck  together  by  St.  John,  when  he 
says  (Kev.  xxi.  3,  4) :  "  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heav- 
en, saying,  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and 
he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and 
God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God.  And 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes ;  and  there 
shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying,  neither 
shall  there  be  any  more  pain :  for  the  former  things  are 
passed  away."  In  other  respects  the  descriptions  of  the 
Christian  heaven  are  no  doubt  figurative.     They  are  in- 


188  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

tended  for  Christians  of  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  have 
hardly  any  reference  to  the  material  conditions  of  life  in  a 
future  state.  These  could  not  be  apprehended  by  believ- 
ers eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  inasmuch  as  we  can  hardly 
be  said  to  grasp  them  now.  I^evertlieless,  there  is  one 
direction  in  which  we  do  ihinh  we  are  able  to  obtain  a 
glimpse  into  the  conditions  of  this  future  life. 

248.  One  of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of  the 
human  mind  is  its  insatiable  curiosity.  How  intensely 
anxious  we  all  are  to  realize  the  conditions  of  the  life  of 
our  forefathers  in  the  ruder  and  earlier  times ;  how  inter- 
ested in  every  scrap  of  intelligence  which  reaches  us  from 
the  old  dead  world !  How  interested  too  in  any  light 
thrown  upon  the  civilization  which  preceded  these  old 
times !  What  would  not  any  man  give  for  half  an  hour 
with  Socrates  or  Plato;  what  would  he  not  give,  be  he 
Christian  or  unbeliever,  to  have  pictured  out  vividly  and 
truly  before  him  some  episode  in  the  Kfe  of  Christ  ?  In  a 
tedious,  toilsome,  roundabout  way  we  do  indeed  get  some 
passing  glimpses  into  these  ancient  historical  ages. 

The  earth  is  not  unlike  the  human  brain,  in  that  it  con- 
tains in  itself  certain  memories  of  the  past,  and  just  as  we 
rummage  out  and  hunt  up  in  our  brains  old  memories,  so 
do  the  historian  and  the  antiquary  search  about  in  the 
earth  for  that  memory  which  it  retains  of  those  distant 
but  glorious  ages.  But  the  universe,  no  less  than  the  indi- 
vidual, has  another  memory  besides  the  material  one,  and 
we  have  endeavored  (Art.  196)  to  convince  our  readers 
that  nothing  is  really  lost,  the  past  being  always  present 
in  the  universe.  If  this  be  the  case,  it  may  readily  be  con- 
ceived that  this  universal  memory  may  by  some  process  of 
exaltation  and  intensification,  or,  as  it  were,  by  some  relay 
battery  of  the  universe,  be  occasionally  quickened  into  such 
a  life  that  the  individual  in  the  future  and  glorified  state 
may  be  enabled  (through  the  power  of  the  Lord)  to  realize 


THE   UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  189 

/ 

scenes  that  happened  in  the  far-distant  past.  For,  if  so 
much  can  be  accomplished  with  a  thing  so  little  plastic  as 
the  material  memory  of  the  earth,  what  may  be  done  with 
that  infinitely  more  plastic  form  of  existence  which  we 
term  the  world  to  come  ? 

249.  Again,  if  in  this  present  world  we  have  great  diffi- 
culty in  realizing  our  own  past,  we  have  even  greater  diffi- 
culty in  realizing  what  is  at  this  very  moment  taking  place 
in  remote  parts  of  the  present  visible  universe.  Astrono- 
mers and  physicists  agree  that  life  is  possible  in  the  planet 
Mars,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  intelligent  beings  analogous 
to  ourselves  exist  at  the  present  moment  on  the  surface  of 
that  planet,  but  we  shall  never  in  this  life  know  for  certain 
any  thing  about  them.  There  is  an  insurmountable  barrier 
to  physical  inquiry  as  great  as  if  Mars  belonged  to  the 
unseen  universe,  instead  of  being,  what  he  is  in  reality,  our 
next-door  neighbor  in  the  present. 

JSTow,  may  not  this  barrier  be  removed  in  the  future 
state  ?  This  has  been  a  favorite  topic  with  scientific  the- 
ologians, and  we  believe  that  all  who  have  speculated  on 
the  conditions  of  a  future  life  have  unanimously  agreed 
that  we  shall  have  much  greater  freedom  of  motion  in  the 
woi'ld  to  come.  In  fine,  our  relations  to  time  and  space 
w^U  then  be  greatly  altered  and  enlarged.  Men  shall  run 
to  and  fro  in  the  universe,  and  knowledge  shall  be  in- 
creased. 

250.  But  yet  the  picture  is  not  altogether  one  of  intel- 
lectual brightness  and  beauty.  It  wears  also  a  moral  aspect, 
and  upon  this  almost  exclusively  the  Christian  records  dwell. 
We  are  told  in  these  records  that  nothing  is  forgotten. 
Christ  tells  us  (St.  Luke  viii.  lY) :  "  Nothing  is  secret,  that 
shall  not  be  made  manifest ;  neither  any  thing  hid,  that 
shall  not  be  known  and  come  abroad."  And  again,  St.  John 
tells  us  (Rev.  xx.  12) :  "  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great, 
stand  before  God :  and  the  books  were  opened ;  and  another 


190  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

book  was  opened,  wMch  is  the  book  of  life :  and  the  dead 
were  judged  out-  of  those  things  which  were  written  in  the 
books,  according  to  their  works."  This  thought  has  been 
developed  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Macleod,  D.  D.,  in  a  work 
entitled  "  The  Book  of  Judgment."  This  author  points  out 
that  in  many  cases  it  may  not  be  even  necessary  to  appeal 
to  the  universe  for  the  record  that  is  therein  written,  for 
this  is  sufficiently  stamped  upon  the  body  itself,  and  he  then 
draws  a  vivid  and  lurid  picture  of  the  sensual  man  in  whom 
the  mortal  body  is  like  a  parchment  written  within  and 
without — a  truly  mournful  and  terrible  record  of  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body. 

But  if  all  this  is  possible  with  an  organism  possessing 
so  little  plasticity  as  the  natural  body,  and  where  the  wish 
of  the  individual  is  to  preserve  a  respectable  exterior,  what 
must  be  the  case  in  the  spiiitual  body  ^  of  such  a  man  ? — 
"  If  they  do  these  things  in  a  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done 
in  the  dry  ?  "  "What  a  hideous  and  horrible  likeness  must 
not  that  foul  thing  have  that  issues  forth  from  the  "  grave 
and  gate  of  death  "  into  the  presence  of  the  Unseen  and 
Eternal  ? 

251.  It  is  extremely  striking  to  read  in  this  connection 
the  following  extract  from  Plato's  "  Gorgias."  "We  quote 
from  Jowett's  translation.     Socrates  is  the  speaker : 

"This  is  a  tale,  Callicles,  which  I  have  heard  and  believe,  and 
from  which  I  draw  the  following  inferences :  Death,  if  I  am  right,  is, 
in  the  first  place,  the  separation  from  one  another  of  two  things,  soul 
and  body — this,  and  nothing  else.  And  after  they  are  separated  they 
retain  their  several  characteristics,  which  are  much  the  same  as  in 

^  [Those  who  believe  that  the  New  Testament  asserts  the  annihilation  of 
tlie  wicked  in  Gehenna,  of  course  hold  that  only  the  just  obtain  the  spiritual 
body.  But  we  have  no  definite  term  for  the  body  as  it  shall  be  (in  the  Hades 
of  the  New  Testament)  between  death  and  the  resurrection.  It  is  probable 
that  the  want  of  such  a  term  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  authors  of  our  recog- 
nized version  have  unfortunately  rendered  both  Hades  and  Gehenna  indiffer- 
ently  by  the  word  hell,  itself  a  term  from  Scandinavian  mythology.] 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVa 


life  :  the  body  has  the  same  nature  and  waj 
discernible  :  for  example,  he  who  by  nature^ 
a  tall  man  while  he  was  alive,  will  remain  as 
and  the  fat  man  will  remain  fat;  and  so  on:  and  tEeTlyad'  lilSin^who 
in  life  had  a  fancy  to  have  flowing  hair,  will  have  flowing  hair.  And- 
if  he  was  marked  with  the  whip  and  had  the  prints  of  the  scourge, 
or  of  wounds  in  him  while  he  was  alive,  you  might  see  the  same  in 
the  dead  body ;  and  if  his  limbs  were  broken  or  misshapen  while  he 
was  alive,  the  same  appearance  would  be  visible  in  the  dead.  And, 
in  a  word,  whatever  was  the  habit  of  the  body  during  life  would  be 
distinguishable  after  death,  either  perfectly  or  in  a  great  measure  and 
for  a  time.  And  I  should  infer  that  this  is  equally  true  of  the  soul, 
Callicles ;  when  the  man  is  stripped  of  the  body  all  the  natural  or 
acquired  aftections  of  the  soul  are  laid  open  to  view.  And  when 
they  come  to  the  judge,  as  those  from  Asia  come  to  Rhadamanthus, 
he  places  them  near  him  and  inspects  them  quite  impartially,  not 
knowing  whose  the  soul  is ;  perhaps  he  may  lay  hands  on  the  soul  of 
the  great  king,  or  of  some  other  king  or  potentate,  who  has  no  sound- 
ness in  him,  but  his  soul  is  marked  with  the  whip,  and  is  full  of  the 
prints  and  scars  of  perjuries,  and  of  wrongs  which  have  been  plas- 
tered into  him  by  each  action,  and  he  is  all  crooked  with  falsehood 
and  imposture,  because  he  has  lived  without  truth.  Him  Rhada- 
manthus beholds,  full  of  all  deformity  and  disproportion,  which  is 
caused  by  license  and  luxury,  and  insolence  and  incontinence,  and 
dispatches  him  ignominiously  to  his  prison,  and  there  he  undergoes 
the  punishment  which  he  deserves." 

252.  As,  in  Eastern  monarcliies,  a  veil  was  sometimes 
cast  over  the  face  of  the  guilty ;  ^  so  in  the  New  Testament 
the  veil  of  darkness  is  drawn  over  the  fate  of  the  lost 
soul  who  falls  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God.  "  And 
when  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he*  saw  there  a 
man  which  had  not  on  a  wedding-garment ;  and  he  saith 
unto  him,  Friend,  how  camest  thou  in  hither,  not  having  a 
wedding-garment?  And  he  was  speechless.  Then  said 
the  king  to  the    servants.  Bind  him  hand  and  foot,  and 

^  As  the  word  went  out  of  the  king's  mouth,  they  covered  Hainan's  face." 
—(Esther  vii.  8.) 


192  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE, 

take  him  away,  and  cast  him  into  outer  darkness ;  there 
shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  ^ 

253.  But  this  gi-aphic  and  powerful  picture  of  the  fate 
of  the  lost  given  us  in  the  ]^ew  Testament  fared  as  badly 
as  other  conceptions  when  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
materialists  of  the  middle  ages.  Its  true  meaning  was 
entirely  obliterated,  and  the  Christian  hell,  instead  of  be- 
ing the  Gehenna  of  the  universe,  the  place  where  all  its 
garbage  and  filth  is  consumed,  was  changed  into  a  region 
shut  in  by  adamantine  walls  and  full  of  impossible  physi- 
cal fires — the  devil  being  the  chief  stoker. 

The  one  idea  is  awful,  while  the  other  is  simply  gro- 
tesque. An  ancient  Jew  who  had  occasion  to  pass  by  the 
valley  of  Hinnom,  and  whose  senses  were  invaded  by  the 
sights  and  smells  of  that  doleful  region,  must  have  enter- 
tained a  conception  of  the  hell  described  by  Christ  as  dif- 
ferent as  possible  from  that  which  has  reached  us  from  the 
middle  ages,  and  to  which  some  even  of  the  readers  of  this 
book  may  have  been  accustomed  in  their  earlier  years. 

To  some  extent  no  doubt  Christ's  description  of  the 
universal  Gehenna  must  be  regarded  as  figurative,  but  yet 
we  do  not  think  that  the  sayings  of  Christ  with  regard  to 
the  unseen  world  ought  to  be  looked  upon  as  nothing  more 
than  pure  figures  of  speech.  We  feel  assured  that  the  prin- 
ciple of  Continuity  cries  out  against  such  an  interpretation 
— may  they  not  rather  be  descriptions  of  what  takes  place 
in  the  unseen  universe  brought  home  to  our  minds  by 
means  of  perfectly  true  comparisons  with  the  processes 

*  St.  Matthew  xxii.  11-13.  \_See,  however,  also  Luke  xiii.  28,  where  the 
true  meaning  obviously  is  ^^  while  ye  are  being  cast  out^  There  are  other 
obvious  mistranslations  in  our  version ;  such  as,  for  instance,  that  of  Mark 
ix.  43,  where  for  "the  fire  that  cannot  be  put  out"  we  have  "the  fire  that 
never  shall  be  quenched."  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  revised  version  will  be 
such  as  to  give  readers  ignorant  of  Greek  a  thoroughly  correct  idea  of  the 
meaning  of  the  original,  most  especially  on  points  of  such  awful  importance 
as  this.] 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE,  193 

and  things  of  this  present  universe  which  they  most  re- 
semble 1 

254.  Thus  the  Christian-  Gehenna  bears  to  the  Unseen 
Universe  precisely  the  same  relation  as  the  Gehenna  of 
the  Jews  did  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem ;  and  just  as  the  fire 
was  always  kept  up  and  the  worm  ever  active  in  the  one, 
so  are  we  forced  to  contemplate  an  enduring  process  in 
the  other. 

For  we  cannot  easily  agree  with  those  who  would  limit 
the  existence  of  evil  to  the  present  world.  We  know  now 
that  the  matter  of  the  whole  of  the  visible  universe  is 
of  a  piece  with  that  which  we  recognize  here,  and  the 
beings  of  other  worlds  must  be  subject  to  accidental  occur- 
rences from  their  relation  with  the  outer  universe  in  the 
same  way  as  we  are.  But  if  there  be  accident,  must  there 
not  be  pain  and  death  ?  Now,  these  are  naturally  associ- 
ated in  our  minds  with  the  presence  of  moral  evil. 

We  are  thus  drawn,  if  not  absolutely  forced,  to  surmise 
that  the  dark  thread  known  as  evil  is  one  which  is  very 
deeply  woven  into  that  garment  of  God  which  is  called  the 
universe. 

In  fine,  just  as  the  arguments  of  this  chapter  lead  us  to 
regard  the  whole  universe  ^  as  eternal,  so  in  like  manner 
are  we  led  to  regard  evil  as  eternal,  and  therefore  we  can- 
not easily  imagine  the  universe  without  its  Gehenna, 
where  the  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched. 
The  process  at  all  events  would  seem  to  be  most  probably 
an  enduring  one.  [Many  passages  of  the  I^ew  Testament, 
however,  seem  to  point  to  a  continuity  of  moral  develop- 
ment in  the  unseen  universe,  a  development  whose  climax 
is  to  be  reached  when  the  last  enemy,  death,  is.  destroyed 
in  Gehenna.] 

^  Including  in  it  a  state  of  things  like  the  present  physical  universe  ;  not, 
however,  the  very  things  that  now  exist,  these  being  evanescent  in  energy  at 
least,  if  not  also  in  material. 

9 


194  THE  UXSJSEI^  [TNIV.EESE, 

255.  But  it  is  fruitless  to  expect  that  Science  should 
throw  any  light  upon  that  greatest  of  all  mysteries — the 
origin  of  evil.  We  have  now  .come  to  a  region  where  we 
must  suffer  ourselves  to  be  led  solely  by  the  light  which  is 
given  us  in  the  Christian  records.  And  while  on  this 
subject  we  would  quote  from  a  very  remarkable  work  on 
the  Lord's  Prayer  ^  .by  the  Kev.  Charles  Parsons  Reichel, 
B.  D.,  which  exhibits  in  a  singularly  clear  light  the  testi- 
mony given  by  Scripture,  as  well  as  the  fruitlessness  of  all 
attempts  to  obtain  information  from  any  other  quarter. 
Our  first  extract  relates  to  the  personality  of  "  The  Evil 
One:" 

"  In  refatation  "  (says  the  writer)  "  of  the  objections  that  have 
been  urged  against  the  personal  existence  of  the  Adversary,  this 
one  observation  is  quite  enough :  that  of  the  world  of  spirits  we  can- 
not possibly  know  any  thing  save  by  direct  revelation.  It  is  be- 
yond the  domain  of  the  senses ;  it  is  beyond  the  cognizance  of  reason. 
A  man  born  blind  might  therefore  as  rationally  attempt  to  disprove 
by  a  process  of  reasoning  the  existence  of  a  sense  of  which  he  can 
know  nothing  except  by  testimony,  as  we  attempt  by  a  process  of 
reasoning  to  disprove  the  existence  of  a  spirit  of  whose  existence  we 
can  know  nothing  save  by  testimony.  The  only  point  to  be  ascer- 
tained in  either  case  is  whether  the  testimony  bo  sufficient.  If  the 
testimony  of  Scripture  be  deemed  sufficient,  then  I  cannot  see  that 
it  is  possible  to  deny  the  personal  existence  of  Satan  any  more  than 
that  of  God.  How  Satan  exists,  or  where  at  the  present  time,  or  how 
his  power  avails,  as  we  are  told  it  does,  to  contrive  and  suggest 
temptations  to  the  mind  of  man  ;  and  to  what  extent  he  is  aware  of 
what  is  passing  in  men's  minds,  so  as  to  adapt  his  suggestions  to  their 
weakness,  we  are  not  told,  and  do  not  therefore  know.  But  our  not 
being  told  the  manner  in  which  his  power  is  exercised  and  brought 
to  bear,  is  no  proof  of  the  unreality  of  that  fearful  being  who  is 
everywhere  in  the  New  Testament  exhibited  as  the  adversary  of  God 
and  goodness,  whether  in  the  individual,  or  in  the  development  of 
the  human  race. 

The  next  passage  is  one  which  all  of  us  may  study 
with  much  advantage.     It  refers  to  temptation : 

*  Cambridge,  MacmlUan,  1855. 


THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  195 

"Every  risk  incurred  unnecessarily  for  the  sake  of  exhibiting  our 
trust  in  God,  every  unusual  or  unnecessary  act  done  merely  or  chiefly 
for  the  purpose  of  displaying  our  privileges  or  our  conviction,  or  of 
attracting  attention  and  admiration,  every  stepping  out  of  the  plain, 
unadorned,  and  unadmired  path  of  simple  duty  is  a  phase  of  it. 

"  Why  God  should  permit  any  of  his  creatures  to  be  tempted  is  a 
question  we  can  no  more  answer  than  we  can  that  question  of  which 
indeed  it  is  but  a  case,  why  God  should  permit  evil  to  exist  at  all. 
But  we  know  that  evil  does  exist ;  and  we  know  too  that  temptation 
does  exist.  That  evil  was  first  introduced  into  the  world  by  a  being 
who  goes  under  the  name  of  Satan  or  the  Adversary  (2  Cor.  xi.  3) 
we  are  told :  that  this  being  endeavored  first  to  seduce,  and  after- 
ward to  menace  our  Saviour  into  evil ;  and  that  he  is  constantly  en- 
gaged in  tempting  us  as  he  tempted  Christ,  we  are  also  told. 

"  And  the  true  rendering  of  the  last  clause  in  Christ's  own  prayer 
would  seem  to  intimate  that  the  same  being  is  also  busy  in  suggest- 
ing temptations  to  every  follower  of  Christ — '  Lead  us  not  into  temp- 
tation, but  deliver  us  from  the  Evil  One.'  " 

256.  But  we  must  now  draw  to  a  close ;  first  of  all, 
however,  let  us  briefly  sum  up  tlie  results  of  our  discus- 
sion. 

The  great  scientific  principle  wliich  we  have  made  use 
of  has  been  the  Law  of  Continuity.  This  simply  means 
that  the  whole  universe  is  of  a  piece  ;  that  it  is  something 
which  an  intelligent  being  is  capable  of  understanding, 
not  completely  nor  all  at  once,  but  better  and  better  the 
more  he  studies  it. 

In  fine,  in  this  great  whole  which  we  call  the  Universe 
there  is  no  impenetrable  barrier  to  the  intellectual  devel- 
opment of  the  individual.  Death  is  not  such  a  barrier, 
whether  we  contemplate  it  in  others,  or  whether  we  expe- 
rience it  ourselves.  And  the  same  continuity  which  has 
been  insisted  on  with  reference  to  our  intellectual  concep- 
tions of  the  universe  applies,  we  have  little  doubt,  to  the 
other  faculties  of  man,  and  to  other  regions  of  thought. 


196  THE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE. 

If  then  we  regard  the  universe  from  this  point  of  view, 
we  are  led  to  a  scientific  conception  of  it  which  is,  we 
have  seen,  strikingly  analogous  to  that  system  with  which 
we  are  presented  in  the  Christian  religion.  For  not  only 
are  the  nebulous  beginning  and  fiery  termination  of  the 
present  visible  universe  indicated  in  the  Christian  records, 
but  a  constitution  and  power  are  assigned  to  the  Unseen 
Universe  strikingly  analogous  to  those  at  which  we  may 
arrive  by  a  legitimate  scientific  process. 

257.  Our  readers  are  now  in  a  position  to  perceive  the 
result  of  questioning  science  in  this  manner,  and  of  aban- 
doning ourselves  without  mistrust  or  hesitation  to  the 
guidance  of  legitimate  principles.  It  is  that  science  so 
developed,  instead  of  appearing  antagonistic  to  the  claims 
of  Christianity,  is  in  reality  its  most  efficient  supporter ; 
and  the  burden  of  showing  how  the  early  Christians  got 
hold  of  a  constitution  of  the  unseen  universe,  similar  to 
that  which  science  proclaims,  is  transferred  to  the  shoulders 
of  the  opponents  of  Christianity. 

258.  For  the  present  we  would  only  add  that  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  aid  of  which  we  have  availed  ourselves  is  not 
a  mere  theological  weapon,  but  will,  we  believe,  ultimately 
prove  a  most  powerful  scientific  auxiliary.  Already  we 
have  used  it  in  our  endeavor  to  modify  the  most  probable 
hypothesis  that  has  been  formed  concerning  the  ultimate 
constitution  of  matter. 

The  truth  is,  that  science  and  religion  neither  are  nor 
can  be  two  fields  of  knowledge  with  no  possible  commu- 
nication between  them.  Such  an  hypothesis  is  simply 
absurd. 

There  is  undoubtedly  an  avenue  leading  from  the  one 
to  the  other,  but  this  avenue  is  through  the  unseen  uni- 
verse, and  unfortunately  it  has  been  walled  up  and  ticketed 
with  "  JS'o  road  this  way^'^  professedly  alike  in  the  name 


TEE  UNSEEN  UNIVERSE.  197 

of  science  at  the  one  end,  and  in  tlie  name  of  religion  at 
tlie  other. 

We  are  in  hopes  that  when  this  region  of  thought 
comes  to  be  further  examined  it  may  lead  to  some  cbm- 
mon  fifround  on  which  followers  of  science  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  revealed  religion  on  the  other,  may  meet 
together  and  recognize  each  other's  claims  without  any 
sacrifice  of  the  spirit  of  independence,  or  any  diminution 
of  self-respect.  Entertaining  these  views  we  shall  wel- 
come with  sincere  pleasure  any  remarks  or  criticism  on 
these  speculations  of  ours,  whether  by  the  leaders  of  scien- 
tific thought  or  by  those  of  religious  inquiry. 

It  must  never  be  forgotten  that,  whether  we  take  the 
scientific  or  the  religious  point  of  view,  one  great  object  of 
our  life  in  the  visible  universe  is  obviously  to  learns  and 
that  (as  human  beings  are  constituted)  advance  in  learning 
necessarily  implies  a  high  purpose  kept  steadily  before  us, 
and  a  continuous  and  arduous  pursuit.  For,  as  we  are  told 
in  the  First  Epistle  of  John,  "  This  is  the  victory  which 
overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith." 


Tf  viKcJvTi  66go)  avr^  ^ayelv  Ik  tov 
^v'kov  T9}g  ^uijg  .  .  . 


THE    END. 


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